Laguna de Fuente de Piedra is Europe's flamingo capital. Every year, thousands of these graceful wading birds descend on this wetland in Spain's Andalusia region to breed. Except that in 2023 and 2024, they didn't. For two consecutive years, drought conditions emptied the lagoon where the flamingos nest, leaving the wetland dry and arid. Fortunately, the rains returned in early 2025 to replenish the habitat. The pink birds returned, as did the flamingo-ringing festival.
For several days in August, hundreds of flamingo chicks are tagged with identification rings that help conservationists monitor their progress into adulthood. It's a vital procedure that also serves as a way of managing the colony as a whole. So, what exactly is involved, and why is the lagoon so important?
Click through the following gallery and find out more about the flamingos and how their little ones are cared for.