Flamingos are found in warm, watery regions on most continents. These flamboyant birds run on water before taking flight in beautiful formations and spend much of the day with their heads upside down in water, filter feeding on plankton, tiny fish and fly larvae. A flamingo’s colour varies depending on its diet – the birds owe their shocking pink colour to the shrimp-like crustaceans they eat. Flamingos can live up to 30 years in the wild and even longer in captivity.
Crib Notes:
- Lesser Flamingos (pictured) are prey to a variety of species, including Marabou Storks, Baboons, African Fish Eagles and Wildcats.
- Male and female flamingos take turns incubating their eggs and feeding their young.
- Flamingos can identify their young from their voices.
- Flamingos are born white.
Time of year: November is probably the ideal time to visit, with the rains over, the land still fresh and the peak season not yet begun.
Destination: Surrounded by the jungle, Rosewood Mayakoba is situated along a mile-long arc of white Caribbean sand on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Positioned at the heart of a 1,600-acre luxury resort enclave located south of Cancun and north of Playa del Carmen, Rosewood Mayakoba offers Beachfront Studio Suites just steps away from the Caribbean for an early morning stroll or evening swim that accommodate 2 adults and 1 child. The resort also has a Rose Buds programme for children with children’s menus and events, as well as a complimentary Kid’s Club with activities that include castle building contests, piñata making and Eco Tours.
Price Guide: From US$1455 per night for a Beachfront Studio Suite.
Tour Option: Rio Lagartos Adventures run boat tours to the feeding grounds of the 40,000 flamingos that breed in the Yucatan Peninsula. Along the way, your guides will point out and identify many of the 388 species of bird in the area and crocodiles are normally spotted on each trip. The return trip includes a stop at the salt ponds in Los Coloradas, followed by a ‘Baño Maya’ with white clay mud and the choice of a swim at a nearby beach or in a freshwater spring.
