Sighting of flamingos in Mumbai reinforces demand for Ramsar site status

The sighting of nearly 1.22 lakh flamingos in Mumbai and the larger Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) reinforces the demand of the Maharashtra government to declare the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) a Ramsar site.

The TCFS, spread across 1,690.5 hectares, will be the first Ramsar Wetland in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) once the proposal is cleared.

A Ramsar site is a wetland area designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental environmental treaty, signed in Iran in 1971, that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is a wildlife and aerial photographer and a naturalist, is keen that the TCFS is declared a Ramsar site. “In previous years, the TCFS has reported over one lakh flamingos, including this exceptional record of the maximum number of greater flamingos this year. We intend to protect these migratory birds and their habitat for posterity. We had also proposed certification of TCFS for Ramsar Site (Wetlands of International Importance) and the same has been cleared by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray," said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Virendra Tiwari, who heads the Mangrove Cell.

As thousands of tourists thronged parts of TCFS and other creek areas in MMR to catch a glimpse of the sea of pink, researchers, as a part of this study, also documented a unique behaviour of the lesser flamingos termed the ‘Flamingo March’ or ‘Dance of the Flamingos’.

“This breeding behaviour of the Lesser Flamingos is particularly observed during April end to May, which is just days before departing for their nesting sites. Over the last few years this behaviour has also been observed from NRI Wetlands complex, Navi Mumbai and Mahul–Sewri mudflats, Mumbai,” said Siddhesh Surve from Mangrove Foundation.“Last couple of years we observed a smaller number of Greater flamingos. One of the reasons might be our inability to conduct surveys during March to May, due to the pandemic restrictions.

The highest number of flamingos is generally observed during these three months” said BNHS Deputy Director Rahul Khot, adding that his team was currently investigating the reasons for this sharp increase. “Greater flamingos prefer freshwater and estuary environments, which Mumbai offers plenty thanks to its creeks and inland wetlands. Also, the sort of food they might be getting here may make this ecosystem more appealing to them. These birds are filter feeders mainly feeding on algae and small crustaceans which are responsible for their pink colouration,” said Khot.