Fuente de Piedra Lagoon
Encyclopedia
Fuente de Piedra Lagoon is a wetland
situated in the Málaga province
of Spain
. It is used by the pink flamingo
for its annual reproduction cycle, constituting the largest colony on the Iberian Peninsula
of this beautiful and delicate bird. The lagoon is fed by underwater springs that pass through mineral salt deposits, so the lagoon is saline indeed salt was havested until recently.
The lagoon covers an area of 13 square kilometres, it is elliptical in shape, its major axis is 6.8 km and the minor one is 2.5 km. However it is very shallow, in a good year it is less than 1m deep at its deepest point.
Evaporation is a major factor for the lagoon. The Flamingos need a certain amount of water to breed and will desert the eggs if the lagoon dries out too soon.
2009 was a good year for the Flamingos just over 5000 young fledged. 600 of these were ringed.
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
situated in the Málaga province
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is used by the pink flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
for its annual reproduction cycle, constituting the largest colony on the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
of this beautiful and delicate bird. The lagoon is fed by underwater springs that pass through mineral salt deposits, so the lagoon is saline indeed salt was havested until recently.
The lagoon covers an area of 13 square kilometres, it is elliptical in shape, its major axis is 6.8 km and the minor one is 2.5 km. However it is very shallow, in a good year it is less than 1m deep at its deepest point.
Evaporation is a major factor for the lagoon. The Flamingos need a certain amount of water to breed and will desert the eggs if the lagoon dries out too soon.
2009 was a good year for the Flamingos just over 5000 young fledged. 600 of these were ringed.