A flamingo has been spotted in Kentucky.
Kentucky Fish & Wildlife officials said the flamingo was recently spotted on Cave Run Lake in Rowan County, about seven miles southwest of Morehead.
John Brunjes, with Kentucky Fish & Wildlife, told WKYT. com that “it was likely one of several swept north from the Yucatan Peninsula by Hurricane Idalia.” Brunjes said the flamingo was one several that were (involuntarily) relocated to nine states by the hurricane.
It is the first-ever recorded sighting of a flamingo in Kentucky, Brunjes said.
The flamingo has not been seen since it was spotted at the lake by a family from Morgan County. Brunjes told the Lexington television station that the bird has likely flown south to meet up with other flamingos before heading home.
The American flamingo formerly populated Florida, but disappeared from the state in the early 1900s, although they are occasionally seen in Florida and along the Gulf Coast as a vagrant, according to Wildlife Journal Junior.com. The American flamingo does not breed in the U.S.
The Greater flamingo is mostly found in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. They also live in Africa, Asia and Europe.
(Photo: Flamingo at Cave Run Lake near Morehead, courtesy of WKYT.com)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
