Lake Nakuru flamingo population rebounds after lake level stabilizes

Rangers count over a million lesser flamingos returning to the alkaline lake, restoring the famous pink shoreline that defines the park.

Lake Nakuru's iconic pink shoreline is back. Rangers from Kenya Wildlife Service estimate that more than 1.2 million lesser flamingos have returned to the lake over the past six months, following a period of dramatic water-level changes that had pushed the birds to other Rift Valley lakes.

Flamingos feed on cyanobacteria that thrive in alkaline water of a specific salinity. As Lake Nakuru's levels rose during recent wet seasons, the salinity dropped and the birds dispersed. Stabilising lake levels and renewed bacterial blooms have now drawn them back.

Lake Nakuru National Park, also home to both black and white rhinos, is one of Kenya's most accessible wildlife destinations and a centrepiece of any Rift Valley itinerary.