Thousands of flamingos flock to lake in Mumbai as COVID-19 causes cleaner air

Thousands of pink flamingos are gathering in Mumbai, India, after the coronavirus lockdown caused cleaner air and water.

Footage from an apartment in the Seawoods Complex in Nerul overlooking the creek in Navi Mumbai shows the beautiful birds gathering on April 24.

Environmentalists pointed out that although flamingos migrate to the area each year, this year has seen unusually high numbers.

They believe that cleaner air and water - one of the positive side effects of the COVID-19 restrictions - has allowed more birds to make the journey.

According to Nathuram Kokare of Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, residents are seeing an unusually large number of flamingos around Mumbai because of “less polluted water and air” and “improvement in the quality of the algae”, their primary food.

The flamingos migrate to Mumbai in October to March from Rann of Kutch in Gujarat and Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan - sometimes even as far away as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Israel.

They then fly out in June.