This is the most brightly-coloured of the flamingo species. Easily identified by its tri-coloured bill – grey at the base, pink in the middle and black at the tip, this bird’s striking plumage derived from pigments in its food. Our flamingos are fed special pellets to maintain their colours. Besides feeding, the birds spend much of their time preening. Courtship displays are often similar to preening movements, only more rigidly performed in an ritualistic sequence of ‘head flagging’ followed by ‘wing saluting’ and ‘twist preening’.

At a height of 80-90cm, this is the smallest flamingo. Its neck is shorter and more thickset than other flamingos.

The lesser flamingo’s bill is deep-keeled and contains up to 10,000 microscopic lamellae, which it uses to trap algae and diatoms. Its tongue works like a piston to pump water in and out of the beak. Slight differences in diet and habits prevent competition among different flamingo species and allow them to share feeding grounds.