19 March 2022 | New Scientist | 31In the pink
THESE dazzling photos showcase
one of the world’s most distinctive
birds: the flamingo. Taken by
biologist and photographer
Claudio Contreras Koob, the
images are a selection from
his new photography book,
Flamingo, which captures the
lives of colonies in the Yucatán
peninsula in Mexico.
An aerial view of Yucatán’s
flamingos is shown in the near-
left image. The Ría Lagartos
delta, located at the northern edge
of the peninsula, and the Celestun
estuary, which is a few hundred
kilometres to the west, provide
wetlands that are an ideal habitat
for these wading birds. Shallow
waters make these estuaries
excellent for nesting and feeding.
The region sustains some of
the world’s largest populations
of flamingos.
In the top far-left photo, a
flamingo chick peeks out from
the bright pink-orange plumage
of its parent, while the images
below it show a lone adult and
one of the peninsula’s crowded
nesting sites. Flamingo mud nests
must be continuously maintained
to ensure rising water doesn’t
wash away any eggs. ❚
Gege Li
Photographer
Claudio Contreras Koob