Simon says: "Meet the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)"

The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Last year, in 2025, for the first time ever, flamingos decided to skip their usual migration north & spend the entire summer at Hula Lake in the Upper Galilee!

Over the past decade, they have gone from being rare visitors, to regular migratory birds in Israel, usually spotted during spring & autumn migrations. But this year, dozens have chosen to stay through the hottest months. Some experts are asking: are we witnessing a new era? Winter for cranes, summer for flamingos?

Flamingos typically prefer salty, algae-rich lakes & come from places like Turkey & Iran. Hula Lake is freshwater - yet over 100 flamingos are currently calling it home.

Why Pink? Their iconic colour comes from their diet! Algae, tiny crustaceans & plankton contain carotenoids, the same pigments that make carrots orange. Without this special menu, they'd actually be grey.

Where to Spot Them:

Hula Lake (Agmon HaHula)

Eilat's salt ponds - roughly 1,000 flamingos can be seen almost year-round

Occasionally - Jezreel Valley & Atlit (where this photo was taken)

Back in 2022, a KKL-JNF photographer captured 2 flamingos at Hula Lake forming a heart shape with their necks; the photo went viral! They don't mate for life (they switch partners each year), but that moment was pure magic.

Important: When visiting, please observe from a distance & avoid disturbing them; they're wild birds, not a photo prop.

This is birdwatching history in the making, & you can witness it right here in Israel.

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Want to walk in the tracks of a flamingo? Let’s imagine Israel together!

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At Imagine Israel Tours we love to notice not just the big moments of history, but also the small details of nature that make Israel unique.