The Greater Flamingo

Book excerpt: A detailed monograph on an iconic bird of tropical wetlands around the world, the flamingo. With their curious feeding behaviour, peculiar elongated body, gregarious social lives and exotic pink plumage, flamingos are among the most familiar and popular of all the world's birds. They have inspired artists, poets and amateur naturalists for centuries, but until 50 years ago very little was known about their biology. A growing number of scientists have directed their attention to these magnificent birds over recent years; this book summarises current understanding of flamingo biology, with detailed discussion of population dynamics, ecology, movements, feeding, breeding biology and conservation, with emphasis placed on the authors' work on the famous population of Greater Flamingos in the Camargue region of southern France. There is also a detailed guide to breeding areas, and an outline of future challenges for research.