Rare Sighting of Flamingos in Wisconsin: American Flamingos Stray North from their Typical Habitat

Normally, the tropical flamingo is seen in Florida and elsewhere in the southern United States. Now five birds have strayed to Wisconsin, far north.

The flamingos attract bird watchers from near and far.

The birds are located in Port Washington, about four miles from Milwaukee. It is the first time the species, American flamingo, has been observed in the state, Mark Korducki of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The birds wade along the shores of Lake Michigan. There are three adult birds, with their characteristic pink plumage, and two younger, gray birds.

Jim Edelhuber from Waukesha is one of about 75 bird enthusiasts who had made the trip to the lake, after catching the news on social media.

– This is big. It’s incredible, says Edelhuber, who is a bird watcher and photographer.

The sighting in Wisconsin is unexpected, but not entirely surprising, as flamingos have also been seen in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania, says Ryan Brady of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.