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Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor
IUCN Red List Criteria
| Near Threatened (criteria nearly met) | A2c+3c+4c |
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Near Threatened |
| 2008 | Near Threatened |
| 2006 | Near Threatened |
| 2004 | Near Threatened |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | nomadic | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | continent |
Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 331,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 5,570,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | medium | Estimated | 2005 | |
| Population trend | Decreasing | poor | - | |
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 15.5 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: The population is estimated to number 15,000-25,000 individuals in West Africa, 1,500,000-2,500,000 in East Africa, 55,000-65,000 in South Africa and Madagascar, and 650,000 in south Asia. | ||||
| Trend justification: The overall population trend is decreasing owing to habitat degradation and disturbance, although some populations may be stable and others have unknown trends (Delany and Scott 2006), thus a moderately rapid decline is suspected overall. | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Angola | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Botswana | Native | No | |||
| Burundi | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Cameroon | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Chad | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Comoros | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Djibouti | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Egypt | Vagrant | No | |||
| Eritrea | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ethiopia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Gabon | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Gambia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ghana | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Guinea | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Guinea-Bissau | Native | No | Yes | ||
| India | Native | No | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Kenya | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Lesotho | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Madagascar | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Malawi | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mauritania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mauritius | Vagrant | No | |||
| Morocco | Vagrant | No | |||
| Mozambique | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Namibia | Native | No | |||
| Niger | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Nigeria | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Oman | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Pakistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Réunion (to France) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Rwanda | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Saudi Arabia | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| São Tomé e Príncipe | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Senegal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sierra Leone | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Somalia | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| South Africa | Native | No | |||
| Spain | Vagrant | No | |||
| Sri Lanka | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Sudan | Unknown | No | Yes | ||
| Swaziland | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Tanzania | Native | No | |||
| Uganda | Native | No | Yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Yemen | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Zambia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Zimbabwe | Native | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Angola | Iona National Park |  |
| Angola | Quiçama | |
| Botswana | Makgadikgadi Pans | |
| Djibouti | Lac Abhé | |
| Ethiopia | Abijatta - Shalla Lakes National Park | |
| Ethiopia | Akaki - Aba-Samuel wetlands | |
| Ethiopia | Bahir Dar - Lake Tana | |
| Ethiopia | Bishoftu lake | |
| Ethiopia | Chelekleka lake and swamp | |
| Ethiopia | Fogera plains | |
| Ethiopia | Green Lake | |
| Ethiopia | Koka dam and Lake Gelila | |
| Ethiopia | Lake Chew Bahir | |
| Ethiopia | Lake Langano | |
| Ethiopia | Nechisar National Park | |
| Guinea | Iles Tristao | |
| Guinea | Rio Kapatchez | |
| Guinea-Bissau | Rio Cacheu | |
| Guinea-Bissau | Rio Mansôa and Gêba estuary | |
| India | Mahul - Sewree Creek | |
| India | Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary | |
| Kenya | Lake Bogoria National Reserve | |
| Kenya | Lake Elmenteita | |
| Kenya | Lake Magadi | |
| Kenya | Lake Nakuru National Park | |
| Madagascar | Bemamba Wetland Complex | |
| Madagascar | Bombetoka Bay and Marovoay wetlands | |
| Madagascar | Lakes Anony and Erombo | |
| Madagascar | Mahavavy Kinkony Wetland | |
| Madagascar | Manambolomaty wetland complex and Tsimembo Classified Forest | |
| Madagascar | Mangoky - Ankazoabo Forest SAPM | |
| Madagascar | Menabe - Andranomena | |
| Madagascar | Tsimanampetsotsa National Park | |
| Mauritania | Aftout es Sâheli | |
| Mauritania | Chott Boul | |
| Mauritania | Diawling National Park | |
| Namibia | Cape Cross lagoon | |
| Namibia | Etosha National Park | |
| Namibia | Mile 4 saltworks | |
| Namibia | Namib-Naukluft Park | |
| Namibia | Sandwich Harbour | |
| Namibia | Sperrgebiet | |
| Namibia | Tsumkwe pan system | |
| Namibia | Walvis Bay | |
| Senegal | Djoudj wetlands | |
| Senegal | Lac de Guiers | |
| South Africa | Chrissie Pans | |
| South Africa | False Bay Park (proposed) | |
| South Africa | Lake St Lucia and Mkuze swamps | |
| South Africa | Richards Bay Game Reserve | |
| South Africa | Sandveld and Bloemhof Dam Nature Reserves | |
| South Africa | Spitskop Dam | |
| Tanzania | Arusha National Park | |
| Tanzania | Lake Burungi | |
| Tanzania | Lake Eyasi | |
| Tanzania | Lake Kitangire | |
| Tanzania | Lake Manyara National Park | |
| Tanzania | Lake Natron and Engaruka basin | |
| Tanzania | Longido Game Controlled Area | |
| Tanzania | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | |
| Tanzania | Nyumba ya Mungu reservoir | |
| Tanzania | Serengeti National Park | |
| Tanzania | Singida lakes | |
| Uganda | Kyambura Wildlife Reserve | |
| Uganda | Lake Mburo National Park | |
| Uganda | Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake George | |
| Zambia | Mweru Wantipa National Park | |
| Zambia | Sumbu National Park and Tondwa Game Management Area | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Salt Exploitation Sites | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Wastewater Treatment Areas | suitable | resident |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | suitable | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes and Flats | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Majority (50-90%) | Rapid Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use / Abstraction of surface water (domestic use) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use / Dams (size unknown) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Majority (50-90%) | Rapid Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents / Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Eggs | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Phoeniconaias minor. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Near Threatened |
| Family | Phoenicopteridae (Flamingos) |
| Species name author | (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1798) |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 331,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
|
- Summary information on this species - Climate change species distributions | |
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