There’s good news about the flamboyance of flamingos in the Indian River. The flock is growing.
On a recent Sunday morning outing to see and photograph the pretty-in-pink birds, I counted 32 flamingos present. That’s amazing for a group that started at about three flamingos who were blown into the area from Hurricane Idalia in 2023.
Among the 32 on Sunday was one bird that was banded. According to a post on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Birding Facebook group, this flamingo was banded in Mexico and has had an interesting travel schedule:
Kilted Adventure Guy Photography posted, “It was first reported at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina after Hurricane Idalia in September 2023. It then flew down to south Florida and was reported in Everglades National Park in December 2023 and again in November 2024. As of my sighting on Saturday April 12, 2025, it is now residing in MINWR. This bird and likely several others of its group flew up here to join the existing flamboyance.”
Various reports online say flamingos need a flamboyance of at least 20-50 members to start a successful breeding population. As the number of flamingos increases, so does the chance we might one day get to see some little flamingos in the Indian River.
