Flamingos in Albania?

[MineralMan]

When I first saw reference to that, my brain went all WTF? Flamingos are tropical birds, right? But, since I'm old and addled, I did a search. It turns out that there are flamingos in Albania. they have formed breeding colonies there in shallow waters along the coast.

So, stupid me. There are native flamingos in Albania.

Moral: If you think something sounds false, check it anyhow. Always check.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_flamingo

[hatrack]

1. You'll also find vast flocks of them at 14,000 feet above sea level in places like Bolivia and Argentina . . .

Tropical locations, yes, but also plenty chilly at night. Flamingos only look dainty.

[Ocelot II]

2. That's an interesting factoid. I've never given a lot of thought to flamingos,

except for the plastic ones that sometimes grace (?) people's lawns. Years ago my ex and I would go out late at night and place them in friends' yards, and now I have two of them in my own yard, except that they are flamingo skeletons - Halloween decorations that were never taken down. I've never seen real ones outside of a zoo, but maybe I should go to Albania.

[cbabe]

4. Why Are Flamingos Pink? What makes this bird so bright?

https://www.britannica.com/story/why-are-flamingos-pink

Why Are Flamingos Pink?
What makes this bird so bright?

…

Flamingos are long-legged wading birds that are usually covered in bright pink feathers. With a name that derives from the Spanish or Portuguese word meaning “flame-colored,” the birds are known for their vibrant appearance. The pink of their feathers, though it is their most famous quality, is not a hereditary trait. Flamingos are in fact born a dull gray. So, if it’s not part of their DNA, why do these birds take on shades of pink?

For flamingos, the phrase “You are what you eat” holds more truth than it might for humans. The bright pink color of flamingos comes from beta-carotene, a red-orange pigment that’s found in high amounts within the algae, brine fly larvae, and brine shrimp that flamingos eat in their wetland environment. In the digestive system, enzymes break down carotenoids into pigments that are absorbed by fats in the liver and deposited, for flamingos, in the feathers and skin. To actually color those external attributes, carotenoids must be ingested in very large amounts. Because the flamingo diet is nearly exclusively carotenoid-filled delicacies, the birds have no problem coloring themselves. Humans, on the other hand, would need to eat quite a lot of carrots (a food so rich in carotenoids that it gave the pigments their name) to turn their skin a shade of orange.

//

[Ocelot II]

6. "Humans, on the other hand, would need to eat quite a lot of carrots... to turn their skin a shade of orange."

Hmmmm.... Do you suppose...?

[MineralMan]

5. The only place I've seen wild flamingos was Florida.

I guess that's why I thought they were only tropical birds. In Minnesota, there's a nice bunch of them at the Como Zoo. It's one of my favorite places in the Twin Cities. It's free to go to (I drop a $20 in the box), and you can take the bus there.

It's one of the nicest things we have. If you haven't been there, you should go. I'm sure you have, though.

My wife and I go at least three or four times a year, just to walk around and look at the critters.

[Ocelot II]

7. I used to hang out there to look at the big cats. They slept most of the time, being cats, but

it was relaxing to just watch them. When I was a kid we lived only a couple of miles from the zoo, and sometimes early on summer mornings we could hear the lions roar. It was more of a loud "Woof!"

[MineralMan]

9. One time. I was sitting on the window ledge at the gorilla habitat.

I had been there for a few minutes, when a big silverback came to the window, turned around and sat down behind me. So we were back to back. We looked at each other a couple of times. Very peaceful, it seemed.

[cbabe]

3. Illegal construction of a Kushner-backed luxury resort, violent repression of protesters, and deepening ecological damag

https://www.birdlife.org/news/2026/06/02/albania-is-destroying-a-protected-wild-coast-for-president-trumps-son-in-law-and-lying-to-parliament-about-it/

Illegal construction of a Kushner-backed luxury resort, violent repression of protesters, and deepening ecological damage at one of Europe's most important coastal habitats

Heavy machinery has been tearing through one of Europe’s most ecologically important coastal habitats [1] since late April, without permits, without an environmental impact assessment, and with the Albanian government providing false explanations to parliament.

The destruction is taking place at the Pishë Poro–Narta Protected Area, within the Vjosa–Narte Protected Landscape, part of the delta of the Vjosa, one of Europe’s last wild rivers. A luxury resort development backed by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has been planned for the same area [2]. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has confirmed that the construction is directly connected [3].

The area shelters over 70 endangered species and more than 200 bird species, including Flamingos and Dalmatian Pelicans. It sits on the Adriatic Flyway, a critical migration corridor for millions of birds traveling between Africa and Europe each year. The surrounding waters are among the last Mediterranean refuges for the Mediterranean Monk Seal, one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals, and a key nesting ground for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. BirdLife’s Albanian Partner PPNEA has called the scale of destruction unprecedented – the worst ever recorded in Albania’s protected areas.

The ecological damage is severe and, in some cases, already irreversible. Gravel has been dumped onto ancient sand dunes designated as Natural Monuments under Albanian law, damage scientists say will take hundreds of years to repair. Construction has also blocked one of the two openings connecting the Narta Lagoon to the sea, cutting off tidal exchange with immediate, cascading consequences for fish, birds, and the entire food chain. Every day the blockage continues, the damage deepens.

… more …

(Paved paradise to put in a parking lot.)

[MineralMan]

8. I'm not at all surprised.

[RockCreek]

10. This is horrible

[cbabe]

11. Maybe a big kaboom. Island riddle with bombs.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221286995