Flamingos have been appearing in the Venetian Lagoon in unprecedented numbers, with nearly 24,000 counted in the winter of 2025. This represents a 6,000 increase from the previous year and positions the lagoon as one of the most important wintering spots for the species across its entire habitat range. The surge is attributed to ongoing ecological initiatives aimed at restoring damaged wetlands, which are expanding the birds' habitat and could potentially encourage them to nest within the lagoon.
An Unlikely Flamingo Haven
Flamingos, more commonly associated with nesting sites in Spain and France, first began to appear in the vast Venetian Lagoon in the early 2000s. Their presence was initially noted in remote fishing valleys and mudflats of the lagoon's outer reaches, with sightings in the historic, tourist-frequented centre of Venice remaining rare. Environmentalists say their arrival is a sign of the lagoon's health and suitability as a feeding ground.
Ornithologist Alessandro Sartori surveys the lagoon weekly by boat for signs of nesting, which would indicate a self-sustaining Venetian colony. So far, there are no fresh signs after two nesting attempts, in 2008 and 2013, in northern lagoon fishing valleys suffered serious setbacks, including violent hail that killed dozens of birds. More than 90 per cent of the birds counted in last year's census were in the northern lagoon, which contains a large area of natural salt marsh.
Debate Over Marsh Project
A project to reconstruct salt marshes in the more isolated southern lagoon raises prospects that flamingo numbers will increase there as well by offering a new habitat in an area where wetland erosion has been especially severe. It could also draw the birds away from competing human uses in the north. The Venetian Lagoon, covering an expanse of 550 square kilometres, was originally nearly half salt marsh. Today, the area of salt marsh is just about 7 per cent, about half of it reconstructed, said Jane da Mosto, executive director of We Are Here Venice, the local partner in the EU's €23.6 million, five-year WaterLANDS project to restore wetlands across Europe.
The damage is especially stark in the central and southern lagoon, due to natural erosion and the dredging of shipping channels to access the Marghera industrial port in the 1960s. Rebuilding the salt marshes increases the lagoon's ability to capture carbon dioxide and mitigates the effects of rising sea levels. However, Ms da Mosto said much larger areas would need to be restored to produce meaningful climate benefits.
Bird Lovers Could Flock to Venice
The flamingos' presence underlines the importance of the Venetian ecosystem and offers a new way for visitors to interpret the canaled city through its ecological significance. Still, visitors hoping to casually spy flamingos will probably be disappointed, as the birds inhabit shallow, difficult-to-access reaches of the lagoon. Mr Sartori predicts flamingo spotting could become more common as their numbers grow, but emphasises that it should always be done with respect for the animals.
