On Aug. 25, a flamingo was spotted in the Saemangum Reclamation Area on Korea’s west coast. This was the first known instance of a flamingo being observed in the wild in the country, other than those which have escaped from captive breeding areas. The birds are traditionally found in coastal areas in Africa, Central Asia, and North and South America. Experts are speculating that the flamingo migrated from Kazakhstan, which is the closest known flamingo habitat to Korea. (Photo provided by Yoon Soon-young, Executive Director of the Korean Association of Wild Birds Protection)