Ngorongoro Crater Flamingos

Ngorongoro crater flamingos are one of the beautiful birds on Ngorongoro Crater that you can get to see while on any Tanzania safari to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Ngorongoro Crater flamingos are lesser flamingos, scientifically called Phoenicnaias Minor. Flamingos live in salty areas, and Ngorongoro Crater can be found in the Lake Magadi which is a salt lake, thereby attracting a considerable population of pink flamingos. While on game drives in Ngorongoro Crater, be sure to see large flocks of pink flamingos.

Ngorongoro Crater flamingos feed on dead algae, which is usually in salty lakes that they inhabit. The highest population of lesser flamingos is found in Lake Nakuru Kenya and Lake Naivasha also in Kenya. In Tanzania, pink flamingos can be seen Lake Manyara National Park and Lake Magadi of Ngorongoro Crater, all of which inhabit a huge population of pink flamingos.

Ngorongoro Crater inhabits a considerable population of pink flamingos, with hundreds of thousands of flamingos found in the park. Ngorongoro Crater flamingos can be seen living in large groups called flocks of up to 1000 individuals. Ngorongoro Crater flamingos are social animals, usually hard to see flamingos moving solo.

The large population of pink flamingos in Ngorongoro Crater are attracted by the shallow alkaline Lake Magadi which is found in the middle of the Ngorongoro Crater. Lake Magadi derives her name from the local Maasai word which translates to salty, given the nature of the lake. Ngorongoro Crater flamingos though usually seen around Lake Magadi are not only found in the alkaline lake, but also other areas of the conservancy including wetlands, wetlands and lagoons.

While Ngorongoro Crater flamingos are known to feed on dead algae, they can also get to eat crustaceans, planktons as well as brine shrimp. This is because of the fact that they have specialised bills which can filter out, and separate waste from food as they are feeding.

Flamingos have a special or unique way of feeding, which involves tilting their herds upside down which is a great sight to watch while on a game drive in the conservancy. Due to the dead algae that the flamingos in Ngorongoro Crater feed has a pigment that turns them pink in color.

While Ngorongoro Crater flamingos can be seen all throughout the year, it is the breeding season of flamingos that you can see flamingos. The breeding season of flamingos is in the months of October to December, which sees the start of flamingos of laying out their nests. After building their nests, flamingos lay one egg only which they incubate for 28 days. Incubating the eggs is done by not only the females but also male flamingos. When the eggs hutch, the flamingos are grey in color, and feed on the eggshell from which they have come from. The adults on the other hand feed on the milky juice. Both the male and female flamingos feed the little flamingos, with the chicks being looked after by selected adult flamingos.

Apart from Ngorongoro Crater flamingos, there are a variety of other birds that travelers can see while on Ngorongoro Crater drives. Ngorongoro Crater birds are recorded at over 450 species. Other Ngorongoro Crater birds that travelers can see include the Secretary Bird, Gray Heron, Great White Pelican, and Speke’s Weaver, among so many others.

Best time to see Ngorongoro Crater Birds

The best time to see Ngorongoro Crater birds, including Ngorongoro Crater flamingos is during the wet season in the months of November through April, which is also a great time to see migratory birds from other parts of the world.

Apart from Ngorongoro Crater birds including Ngorongoro Crater flamingos, there are other attractions in Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania including Ngorongoro Crater big 5 animals, scenery, landscapes, culture among so many others.

Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania is one of the most amazing Tanzania safari destinations that you can visit for an amazing Tanzania safari experience. Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania can be visited all throughout the year, to see the various attractions including Ngorongoro Crater flamingos. Get in touch with a reputable tour operator to help you create an amazing Tanzania safari tour visiting the Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania, with an opportunity to also include other Tanzania safari destinations especially the Serengeti National Park with which most travelers do combine, say on a 3 Days Ngorongoro and Serengeti Safari, 4 Days Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater Safari, or even with a possibility to include other destinations like the Zanzibar Island.