An American Flamingo hanging around Rhode Island. 7/20/2024.

Since September of last year, a large number of American Flamingos have been spotted in the United States including Lake Michigan, Kansas, Long Island, Cape Cod, and, most recently, Rhode Island. Normally, American Flamingoes live in the Caribbean and on the Galapagos Islands, and there is a small population near the Florida Keys. It is thought that the heavy winds of Hurricane Idalia which came from the northwestern Caribbean Sea and through the Gulf of Mexico on August 30, 2023, are responsible for the influx of these Flamingos in what has been deemed "the pink wave". At least five of the flamingos were banded and traced back to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico eliminating the idea that they are escaped, captive birds. They have been making their way to various locations across the United States and are hopefully headed back south. At least one bird made its way to the Cape in Massachusetts in June of this year as it was spotted on Chapin Beach. The first recorded sighting of a wild American Flamingo in the state! Since then, an American Flamingo has been spotted in Long Island and, now, Rhode Island. It may be the same bird or it may not. I viewed the bird on July 20th, but our Rhode Island celebrity has been hanging around in Brigg's Marsh in Little Compton since July 18th and, as of July 28th, is still there. Quite a bird, but it will need to start heading south when the temperatures start to drop!