Tanzania: Gps Reveals Flamingos' Regional Migration

What the report says

Tanzanian wildlife scientists have used GPS trackers to follow two lesser flamingos from Lake Natron and found that the birds move across both Tanzania and Kenya. The report, published by Daily News and distributed by AllAfrica, says the study was described in Arusha by Dr Emmanuel Mgimwa of the IUCN Flamingo Specialist Group, who is also director of Nature Tanzania.

According to the article, the tagged birds took different paths after leaving Lake Natron. One moved through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, spent time at the crater lake, then went to the Engaruka escarpments in Monduli before crossing into Kenya and being traced at Lake Magadi. The second bird traveled farther north and was later recorded at Lake Logipi in the northern Kenya Rift Valley.

The findings add detail to how lesser flamingos use wetlands across the East African Rift Valley for breeding, feeding and resting. The report notes that Lake Natron is a major breeding site for the species, with more than 80 percent of the world’s lesser flamingo population said to breed there. The global population is estimated at about 3.5 million birds. Researchers said the GPS work should help conservation planning for Lake Natron and nearby wetlands, and may also support cross-border cooperation between Tanzania and Kenya because the birds regularly move between the two countries.