8 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XL 



(2). Pboeniconaias minor. The Lesser Flamingo. 



Phceniconaias minor, Cat. B.B. Museum, XXVII, p. 18 ; Hume, Str. 

 Feath., I, p. 31 ; Adam, ibid, p. 400, II, p. 339 ; Hume, ibid, IV, 

 p. 25 ; Butler, ibid, V, p. 234 ; Hume, ibid, VIII, p. 114 ; Id. Cat. 

 No. 944, bis ; Butler, Str. Feath., IX, p. 436 ; Legge, B. of Ceylon, 

 p. 1093 ; Hume, Str. Feath., X, p. 513 ; Barnes, B. of Bombay, p. 393. 



Phcenicopterus roseus, part, Jerdon, B. of India, III, p. 775. 



Description : Adult male. — General colour a bright pale pink ; 

 feathers at the base of the bill crimson ; the longest scapularies and 

 median wing coverts crimson, the latter edged paler; other wing 

 coverts and the edges of the underwing coverts rosy ; the greater 

 underwing coverts and quills black ; axilla* ies crimson ; rectrices 

 darker, and with the outer webs tinged with crimson; under tail coverts 

 subtipped with a tinge of crimson. Some old males, perhaps during 

 the breeding season only, have the feathers of the back with crimson 

 shaft stripes. 



Iris red minium, bill dark lake red (with the tip black), feet red 

 (Antinori) ; length 34" to 38" ; wing 13" to 14" ; tail about 5"; 

 culmen 4" to 4'25" ; tarsus 7-5" to 8'25" (or 95" ?). 



Female.— Similar to the male, but smaller and paler, without the 

 crimson scapularies and with no crimson on the back or breast. 



Length about 32" to 34" ; wing 12'2" to 13" ; tail about 5" or 

 less ; culmen about 4" ; tarsus about 7'25". 



The young appears to be very like that of Pliamicopterus roseus, but 

 with a more rosy and less brown or buff tinge about it. Altogether a 

 brighter, paler bird. 



Habitat. — This bird is not spread over nearly so large an area as is 

 the common flamingo. It appears to extend through South Africa on 

 both Coasts, but the extent of its range northwards or the West Coast 

 is still doubtful. In the British Museum Catalogue Salvadori marks 

 its habitat Bengal with a " ? " In the east it is found on many parts 

 of the Coast as far north as Abyssinia and abo in Madagascar. From 

 N.-E. Africa it extends to N.-W. India, where, however, it is not 

 found far south, or far into the interior, nor is it found anywhere 

 towards the east. 



It has been recorded from various parts of India from the end of 

 September up to the beginning of July, and cannot breed very far from 



