A flock of young flamingos from Turkey landed in the Odesa region.
A flock of 85 young pink flamingos from the Tuz Lake in Turkey arrived at the National Natural Park "Tuzlovskie Limans". According to ornithologists, due to the war in Ukraine, the birds were unable to breed in the region for several years, but this year, the season in Turkey turned out to be record-breaking.
A large flock of young pink flamingos has settled in the territory of the National Natural Park "Tuzlovskie Limans" in the Odesa region. Ornithologists counted 85 birds, which arrived from the Turkish Tuz Lake.
According to Dr. Ivan Rusov, a researcher at the national park, the ongoing military actions have prevented birds from successfully raising their young in the Odesa region for several years. However, in peaceful Turkey, the season in 2026 witnessed a record: due to abundant spring rains and a high concentration of food (the Artemia salina shrimp) in the Tuz Lake, over 12,8 thousand chicks hatched.
The young birds, led by experienced leaders, headed north and chose the Odesa lagoons as their stopping point. "Ukraine is currently dangerous for them, but they still flew to us for Tuzlov treats. And since the birds are still young, they probably don't even know about fear," said Rusov. According to him, they flew to the large Tuzlov lagoons because several adult flamingos were their guides, and likely had been there before. It is also possible that these guides were born in 2023 at the Tuzlov lagoons – the only year during the war when pink flamingos hatched 200 chicks.
Currently, the feathered guests are in the protected area of the national park, where they are resting and gaining weight. For scientists and ecologists, the appearance of a new generation of birds serves as a reminder: despite all the military challenges, nature in the Odesa region continues to live and attract rare species.