Flamingos in the south of Sardinia

Flamingos in the south of Sardinia

The coastal ponds of Chia and Spartivento, just close to the impressive sand dunes, are habitual areas of resting and nesting for many species of water birds – including pink flamingos – that contribute to further enhance a natural setting with few equals in the entire Mediterranean.

In the depths of these beaches you can see many eagle rays, not very large, more or less with a “wing” span  of 40 cm. And you can visit also the Chia pond, in whose waters you can find egrets, coots and herons.

Very special patrols, which color the island’s skies, are composed of migratory birds that glide; sometimes they dance and then they “rummage” in search of food.

They are also called “genti arrúbia, zente rúbia or ruja”, ie “red people”, but their name comes from the Greek phoinikópteros which means “red feathered” or “purple wing.”

In the Sardinian language, the flamingo is also said “mangone, mangoni, mengoni” which could result from margone, malgone “merganser” (water bird).

Pink flamingos are migratory birds; they arrive in Sardinia for the winter, but every year a lot of colonies choose the Pond of Molentargius in order to nest, making it a place of great environmental importance that has to be protected.