Cyprus’ wetlands host one of the largest wintering populations of Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Greater flamingos visit five natural wetlands on the island, with the largest numbers wintering at the Larnaca and Akrotiri Salt Lakes. On average, 5,000–10,000 individuals overwinter in these wetlands, a figure that represents more than 1% of the Eastern Mediterranean population.
Monthly waterbird counts, conducted systematically for more than two decades by the Game and Fauna Service and BirdLife Cyprus, show a decline in the species’ population in Cyprus. Specifically, from 2013 to the present, a decrease of around 14–31% has been observed. A summary of the species’ status in Cyprus was recently presented at the 4th International Flamingo Symposium, which took place in Italy from 10–15 November 2025.
Possible factors behind the significant decline of the species on our island include frequent droughts, inflows of poor-quality water leading to reduced food availability, pressures from development, and incompatible activities around the wetlands.
As part of the Pandoteira Project, a ten-year project co-funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme, gaps in knowledge are being addressed regarding the specific dietary, breeding, and resting requirements of certain species, as well as the quantification of the threats they face. One of the species studied by the project is the Greater flamingo.
Filling these knowledge gaps will enable the adoption of targeted conservation actions to improve the status of the species in specific Special Protection Areas, Natura 2000 sites designated for wild birds. As a result, conservation objectives can be achieved both for the species and for the Natura 2000 Network sites in which they occur.
To find out more about the Pandoteira project, click here.
Cover photo: Marios Andreou (Frederick University)
