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The lagoons of Mannar in northern Sri Lanka attract large flocks of pink and white greater flamingos every year, which drive a vital tourism industry in the region. However, recent fatalities of the migratory birds from collisions with power cables there have sparked urgent concerns regarding the impact of power infrastructure in the wetlands, reports contributor Malaka Rodrigo for Mongabay.
Three greater flamingos ( Phoenicopterus roseus ) recently died in Mannar after colliding with overhead power lines. Although initial reports suspected electrocution, necropsies performed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation ( DWC ) veterinary surgeon Balachandran Giritharan revealed the birds’ long necks were slashed mid-flight by the cables.
Conservationists warn that energy infrastructure, including proposed wind power projects, increasingly encroaches on sensitive habitats like Vankalai Sanctuary in Mannar.
Flamingos are particularly susceptible to collisions with power lines due to their long necks, large wingspans and limited maneuverability, said Sampath S. Seneviratne , an ornithologist and a professor of zoology with the University of Colombo . The birds also fly in large flocks during the low-light hours of dawn and dusk, he added.
The threat from power infrastructure is not limited to Sri Lanka. Flamingo fatalities due to power line collisions have been recorded in several African countries, with a report by the IUCN listing 464 flamingo deaths in South Africa alone from 1997-2019. Meanwhile, in the state of Gujarat in western India, a 2011 study reported 76 flamingos that were killed due to collisions with electric wires from 2002-2005.
Other protected areas in Sri Lanka offer a cautionary tale of the impacts of development. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the lagoons of Sri Lanka’s Bundala National Park , the country’s first Ramsar wetland, regularly hosted large flocks of greater flamingos, often numbering more than 1,000 birds. The shallow saline lagoons provided ideal feeding grounds rich in tiny crustaceans and algae for these birds. However, the flamingos gradually stopped coming as irrigation developed in the area.
Sarath Kotagama , an ornithologist and professor emeritus at the University of Colombo, said freshwater released into the Bundala lagoon system has altered the salinity of the wetlands.
“As salinity decreased, the small crustaceans like brine shrimp and microorganisms that flamingos depended on have disappeared, and without sufficient food resources, the birds have abandoned the habitat,” she said.
She added that the Bundala case has become a “classic example” of how hydrological alterations that initially appear benign can adversely impact wetland ecosystems, even when the habitat appears visually intact.
In Mannar, flamingos are driving the local economy. According to Indika Jayathissa, a guest relations officer at a local hotel, “when the flamingos arrive, hotel occupancy shows an immediate and significant rise.”
“Wildlife photographers and birdwatchers often spend days tracking flamingo movements across Mannar’s lagoons, creating a growing ecotourism niche around the beautiful birds,” Jayathissa said.
Read the full story by Malaka Rodrigo here .
Banner image: In this 1985 photograph, a large flamingo flock is seen in Bundala, a Ramsar wetland found in the island’s south. Image courtesy of Uditha Wijesena.
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