Flamingos Threaten Northern Italy's Risotto Rice Crops

Rice farmers in northern Italy are frustrated. Their risotto rice paddies are being destroyed by flamingos, writes The Guardian. The pink birds do not eat the rice itself, but splash up the rice plants when they search for insects in the water where the rice is grown. As much as 90 percent of the crop has been destroyed for some farmers.

Despite various attempts to scare away the birds, they remain in the area. If they are driven away by car horns or clattering pots from a farm, they just move to another rice paddy. Now the rice farmers are calling for action from the authorities.