Least Concern

Height about 110–150 cm; wingspan 140–165 cm; weight ~2–4 kg. A large wader with pale pink plumage, deeper pink flight feathers, long neck and legs, and a distinct downward-curved bill adapted for filter feeding. Juveniles are paler with greyish plumage.

Resident and partially migratory in parts of Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and southern Europe. Breeding populations may be nomadic depending on wetland conditions.

Northern populations migrate to southern India, Sri Lanka, and other warm wetlands during winter. Movements are largely driven by food availability and water levels.

Breeds when wetland conditions are optimal, often January to July in India. Breeding may vary with local rainfall and water availability.

Nests in mud mounds or small islands in shallow water, laying 1–3 eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the chicks. Nesting is often colonial, with hundreds or thousands of pairs nesting together.

Prefers shallow saline or alkaline lakes, estuaries, mudflats, and lagoons. Often found in large flocks, wading in water or feeding in shallow areas.

Feeds mainly on algae, plankton, small crustaceans, and mollusks, filtered from water using its specialized bill. Diet rich in carotenoids gives adults their pink coloration.