The daily cycle of feeding activity of the Greater Flamingo in relation to the dispersion of the prey Artemia

Abstract

Non-breeding adult Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus ruber filter-feeding on the brine shrimp Artemia in the salines of the Camargue, France, feed almost exclusively at night and roost during the daytime. Artemia undertakes a diurnal vertical migration and is concentrated near the bottom during the daytime, but is dispersed at night. Night-time feeding is thus non-adaptive in terms of foraging efficiency but may serve an anti-predatory or thermoregulatory role.