BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Seeing a flaming roaming around Kentucky is rare, but to have it happen twice in a week is almost unreal. But it happened. A pair of flamingos were spotted in Cave Run Lake and near the Ohio River in northern Kentucky.

What You Need To Know

  •  There have been two sightings of flamingos in Kentucky

  •  One bird was in northern Kentucky by the Ohio River, and the other was in Cave Run Lake, south of Morehead

  •  One bird was in good condition, but the other had an injured foot

  • Kentucky Fish and Wildlife speculate the birds found their way to Kentucky after Hurricane Idalia

At Cave Run Lake, Peyton Little was relaxing on her boat when her father pointed out something abnormal.

“All of a sudden my dad says, ‘There is a pink flamingo over at the beach,’ I said, ‘Yeah, probably one of those yard sticks someone stuck in the sand,’ Little said. Her father stopped the boat and exclaimed, “No, it’s moving, it’s real!”
Little and her mother jumped up quick, realizing the rare sight they were experiencing. 

“We started taking pictures and videos and then we were like ‘Wait, this can’t be normal,’” Little said.

The Little family called the marina and the marina called Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources to check up on the bird. The bird seemed in good condition, despite being new to the area.

“If you would have told me I would see a flamingo at Cave Run Lake, I would’ve said you’re crazy,” Little said.

The Kentucky Fish and Wild Life said the flamingo likely traveled because of Hurricane Idalia. John Brunjes, the program manager for the Migratory Bird Program, said other flamingos have also fled from the hurricane to states they rarely inhabit.

“We’re up to 13 states that now have recorded flamingos because of this hurricane, and I would guess that the vast majority of those states have never had a sighting before,” Brunjes said.

Brunjes said this is the first sighting of this type of bird ever in the state of Kentucky. That was until Madison Malott in northern Kentucky spotted a flamingo as well. Brunjes got word the bird was there, and went to go check it out.

This bird was apparently in less stable condition. Brunjes said the bird seemed like it had a damaged foot. 

“It does seem like it has an injured foot, but it’s still way too active for anybody to catch,” Brunjes said.

Brunjes said they are hopeful the birds will flee to find a better home, as Kentucky is not a suitable place for flamingos to live long term.