Photo by GianmarcoCicuzza/Shutterstock.com

Climate change impacts the entire earth, from humans to animals alike. The entire world is being affected by climate change, and it’s likely that it won’t get much better as the years go on. Flamingos are no exception, and they also are and will continue to be victims of climate change.

Different animals across the world are impacted in different ways by the environments around them changing. This is how climate change affects flamingos.

How Climate Change Affects Flamingos

Mating

There are a number of ways that a changing climate impacts flamingos. One is their mating.

Rain is a big part of the flamingo mating process. The rain means lots of available food, and it also means more supplies for nests. These are two big factors in a flamboyance of flamingos decision to collectively mate or not. So, less rain means less flamingo mating, which means a reduction and less stability in the flamingo population.

Rising Water Levels

Tons of rain isn’t necessarily good, though. Water levels across the world are rising, which isn’t good for flamingos, who love shallow water for everything. With water levels increasing, it’s changing ecosystems, and that is messing with flamingos in their natural habitats.

For example, Kenya’s Lake Bogoria has long been home to millions of flamingos, but its water levels are rising, like other bodies of water in the region. This is allowing an invasive plant species called prosopis juliflora shrubs or mathenge to thrive in the area. These plants can trap flamingos when they step down or dig down for algae.

Large Flock of Flamingos at Kenya’s Lake Bogoria - Photo by GUDKOVANDREY/Shutterstock.com

“We have never experienced a situation whereby the flamingos are being trapped by this invasive plant, the prosopis,” James Kimaru, senior warden for the Kenya Wildlife Service at Lake Bogoria National Reserve, told the AP.

The changing water levels are also affecting the amount of algae that can live in the lake, directly taking food out of flamingos’ mouths. Lake Bogoria has undergone some serious changes in even just the last few years, and this climate-change chaos is affecting flamingos in more ways than one.

Disease

Climate change means the increased spread and intensity of diseases.

Increased heat in the areas of the world that flamingos enjoy allow bacteria and diseases to thrive. Algae that flamingos ate can become sun poisoned. Climate change opens up more opportunities for sickness to affect flamingos in a variety of ways.

Predators

Everything in nature is connected. When one species becomes extinct or its population drops, the rest of the food chain is impacted.

Other animals losing their habitats, having their numbers dwindle, or disappearing entirely from areas or the world affects the food chain. Predators that previously weren’t too interested in flamingos now don’t have the same wealth of options in front of them because of the effects of climate change. Predatorial attacks on flamingos have increased as predators have their food choices shrink before their eyes.

What Can We Do?

This is a great question. Please tell me when you find the answer, because I’d love to know.