Two Nests Found as Flamingos Return to Galapagos Islands, Experts Confirm

A family of flamingos, one of the endemic subspecies of the Galapagos Islands, have nested once more in the lagoon of Rabida Island, according to a statement from Ecuador's Ministry of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition that Zenger News was able to obtain on Wednesday. This was an event that had not been documented for more than 20 years.

After 12 years of exterminating invasive species that threatened this specimen's survival, the ministry claimed that this incident is an illustration of the ecological restoration that is gradually occurring on the island and contributing to the region's sustainable tourism system.

The colorful bird has at least two nests that have been found on the shore of a saltwater lagoon close to the coast, a habitat it shares with other species like finches and ducks, the ministry noted.

According to Danny Rueda, director of the Galapagos National Park, Rabida Island is still undergoing restoration, and as natural systems regain their ecological integrity, native and endemic species are able to return to the habitats from which they were driven out by invasive species.

Rueda added that after the rodent population is reduced, the ecosystem will be in balance and the original species will gradually start to fulfill their ecological roles.

The statement went on to say that these and other birds that live in the 34 lagoons of the archipelago are counted twice a year by the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park.

Clearing Out the Rats

According to the ministry's current update, a population of approximately 500 individuals of different species is estimated to have been seen on the island.

Rabida Island is a 5-square-kilometer island that is occasionally referred to as Jervis Island after the 18th-century British admiral John Jervis.

The island is also home to sea lions, white-cheeked pintails, pelicans, boobies, and nine different species of finches in addition to flamingos. Geckos, land iguanas, rice rats, and other native animals perished after goats were eliminated from the island in 1971.

In 2011, a campaign to eradicate invasive brown and black rats from the island was launched, Newsweek reports.

Charles Darwin studied the numerous endemic species that make up the Galapagos Islands during the second voyage of HMS Beagle. Darwin developed his theory of evolution by natural selection using his collections and observations, Zenger News reports.

Read also: Volcanic Eruption in Galapagos Islands Threaten the Already-Endangered Pink Iguanas 

Galapagos Flamingos

The Galapagos flamingo is a sizable species of flamingo that is connected to Chilean and greater flamingos.

It is also referred to as the Caribbean flamingo. This bird lives in salty lakes where it uses its distinctively curved beak to forage for food in the mud. Their diet of shrimp, which is rich in carotenoids, is what gives their plumage its pink color. As they consume more shrimp, they turn pinker, with some specimens taking on a paler hue.

Since they don't have a set season for mating, they can reproduce all year long. To shield the egg from potential flooding on the ground, their nest is elevated on mud walls or columns. The egg, which is cared for by both parents, will hatch in about 35 days and give birth to a bird with gray to white plumage. Chicks are fed with pigeon-like milk containing prolactin that is high in nutrients and red and white cells until they can feed on solids. Flamingos can live for up to 50 years, according to Go Galapagos Ecuador.

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