Two Flamingos Die After Hitting Power Lines in La Guajira, Bringing This Year’s Toll to Six

Two pink flamingos found dead near a transmission line in La Guajira have renewed warnings from Wayuu communities and environmental authorities about the danger facing birds along the region’s energy corridors. Six flamingos have now died in five incidents this year.

The latest collision occurred near Los Olivos, about 10 kilometers from the road linking Riohacha and Cuestecitas. The birds were found during the night of Aug. 31 near the Refuerzo Eléctrico La Guajira 110 kV transmission line.

Residents said they had warned about the risk for some time. Esmeralda Peñaranda Ramírez, an Indigenous leader and teacher, said community members had already shared their concerns with Enlaza Grupo Energía Bogotá, the company operating the line. They offered to take part in nighttime observation efforts to track the flamingos’ routes and identify possible collisions. Two young residents also volunteered to train and assist with monitoring.

According to Peñaranda, the proposal did not move forward because the company considered the section adequately equipped with devices intended to make the cables more visible. Enlaza confirmed the deaths and said its environmental team conducted an on-site inspection.

The company said the section contains five towers and four spans, with 282 spiral devices installed along roughly 1,409 meters of line. It acknowledged that the devices are conventional rather than luminous. Enlaza said the section would be prioritized for new luminous flight diverters designed to make the cables more visible at night. The devices have already gone into production and are expected to arrive in Colombia during the final quarter of the year. Corpoguajira has also warned that the expansion of energy projects could bring further risks.