A rare sight in Croatia: Pink Flamingo spotted near Pašman island

Pink Flamingo spotted this week in Croatia (Photo credit: Mario Gavranović, dr. med. vet. / Vet vision, Split)

PAŠMAN, 3 July 2020 – While their inflatable “clones” are a frequent sight on local beaches and swimming pools in the summer, seeing an original Pink Flamingo bird in all its beauty is not an everyday sight in Croatia. 

One of their kind was spotted on Tuesday, June 30 at 9 p.m. on the south side of the entrance to the sea passage Ždrelac between the islands of Pašman and Ugljan, reports BIOM, Croatian association dedicated to nature preservation. 

Pink Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus), who nest on several locations in the Mediterranean have up until recently been quite a rare sight in Croatia and were mostly spotted during the flyover or their winter stay, but in recent years the number of spottings has significantly grown, possibly due to increased number of birdwatching enthusiasts.

(Photo credit: Mario Gavranović, dr. med. vet. / Vet vision, Split)

The Pink Flamingo was spotted by Anamaria Okrst Melvan, while photos were taken by Split based veterinarian Mario Gavranović, who examined the bird. The checkup showed that flamingo was not injured, just exhausted and he successfully took off the next day.

(Photo credit: Mario Gavranović, dr. med. vet. / Vet vision, Split)

Josip Turkalj, Biom’s associate for nature preservation concluded the flamingo is a young specimen who abandoned its nestling colony and is now wandering the seas alone. Flamingos are commonly seen during their winter stay in Istria and at the Nin salt pans as well as salt pans in Ston and Neretva. 

More info on pink flamingos is available in Croatian here.

https://www.biom.hr/vijesti/mladi-plamenac-koji-luta-morima-opazen-kod-otoka-pasmana/