Re‐mating between and within breeding seasons in the Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber roseus

Data on re‐mating between and within breeding seasons were collected between 1983 and 1994 as part of a long‐term study of the Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber roseus in the Camargue, southern France. Flamingos have bred in the Rhône delta for centuries and since 1972 have done so annually on an artificial island in the Etang du Fangassier. A sample of chicks has been ringed each year since 1977; many of these birds were later observed back at the breeding site and were used in this study. The mate‐switching rate between consecutive breeding seasons was 98.3%. This result is contrary to what has been reported from captive flocks where extensive mate fidelity occurred between consecutive breeding seasons. Mate‐switching also was observed in the Camargue within breeding seasons, following breeding failure, and seems to be linked to male breeding strategy in response to the need to synchronize hatching and the limited energy supply of breeding females. The absence of a long‐term pair bond in Greater Flamingos contrasts with current views on the evolution of mate fidelity in relation to longevity in birds.