Environment Authority documents the appearance of the Lesser Flamingo in Al-Jahra Reserve

Samira Al-Khalifa, head of the environmental photography team at the Kuwait Society for the Protection of Wildlife, documented the appearance of a juvenile flamingo alongside an adult flamingo in the Al-Jahra Nature Reserve during the 2026 bird migration season. The distinctive ecological scene highlights the biodiversity hosted by the country’s nature reserves and their importance to migratory birds.

Al-Khalifa, who also serves as a board member of the society, said yesterday that documenting the juvenile flamingo represents an important addition to Kuwait’s bird monitoring records, given the rarity of local sightings of this species compared to the greater flamingo, as well as the infrequency of observing both species together.

She explained that the photographs clearly showed morphological differences between the two species and the size disparity between them. The lesser flamingo is characterized by its smaller body, pink plumage, and dark beak with a reddish-black tip, whereas the greater flamingo is distinguished by its taller stature and lighter beak with a black tip.

She added that Al-Jahra Nature Reserve is among the key ecological sites for receiving migratory birds due to the water bodies, mudflats, and suitable feeding and resting habitats it provides, as well as Kuwait’s location along major bird migration routes.

She noted that the lesser flamingo is classified globally as Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, owing to environmental pressures affecting its natural habitats, including the degradation of wetlands, changes in water levels and salinity, environmental pollution, and the decline in quality of some feeding and breeding sites.