Every evening, protesters gather outside Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's office carrying banners, chanting slogans and demanding his resignation. But among the placards denouncing corruption, living standards and a controversial luxury tourism development, one image has come to define the movement: the flamingo.

The pink migratory birds, which flock each year to the protected Narta Lagoon near the southern city of Vlora, have become a symbol of resistance against plans for a luxury resort backed by a group of international investors that includes Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

Initially, demonstrators focused on fears that the development could damage one of Albania's most important wetland ecosystems. As the nightly protests have continued, however, the agenda has broadened to include corruption, education and the cost of living. Protesters call each night for Rama to step down.

In a country where birds occupy a prominent place in folklore, national identity and political rhetoric, the flamingo has joined a long list of feathered metaphors deployed in public life.

Albania's national symbol is the double-headed eagle, which dominates the country's red flag and gives the country its Albanian name, Shqipëria, or ‘Land of the Eagles’. Albanians often refer to themselves as Shqiptarë, commonly interpreted as "sons of the eagle", reflecting the bird's association with courage, freedom and national unity.

The golden eagle, once widespread across Albania's mountains, also remains a national icon even as conservationists warn that habitat loss, poisoning and illegal hunting have caused its numbers to decline sharply.

Other birds carry darker meanings. In Albanian folklore, crows and ravens are associated with ill fortune, death and malicious gossip, while the call of an owl is traditionally regarded as an omen of misfortune.

Politicians have long exploited those cultural associations. Rama has repeatedly described opponents of his government as "crows and ravens", suggesting they spread pessimism and disorder.

Defending the Zvërnec tourism project at the end of June, he contrasted protesters with supporters of his government.

"Flamingos and crows and ravens are separated by the same divide that separates peace from violence. The former want a better, fairer and cleaner Albania, while the latter want an Albania of hooliganism, violence and filth," he wrote on Facebook.

He added: "The flamingos will get what they seek, while losers of this protest will receive what crows and ravens deserve."

The imagery resurfaced this week as Rama defended €4bn of government support for a Kanye West concert, arguing it would generate tourism revenue and international publicity.

"Now the crows and ravens of the social channels are full of glasses making perverse accounts of unscrupulous manipulators," he wrote, accusing critics of spreading misinformation about public spending.

He went further, accusing unnamed opponents of attempting to "stop and take Albania back" through "violence of arbitrariness, insults, accusations and threats.”

On July 8, the head of the ruling Socialist Party’s parliamentary group, Taulant Balla, posted a picture on Facebook of two protesters who accosted him on a visit to Strasbourg, with the caption “here are two crows”.

Birds have featured in Albanian political battles before. Ahead of the 2025 parliamentary election, Rama repeatedly mocked opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha by portraying him as a "swamp owl" in a series of social media videos.

Berisha responded by appearing at a press conference carrying a plush white owl. "You cannot insult me by calling me an owl," he declared. "The owl has been the symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and decision for millennia."

Rama responded within hours, saying: ”What did you say today? 'I am an owl'? It's a good start that you admitted it.”

The exchange amused many Albanians but also prompted criticism that political debate had descended into theatrical exchanges while more pressing economic and social issues remained unresolved.

The flamingo protests have taken the symbolism in a different direction. Rather than being imposed by politicians (though Rama’s Facebook page now has a flamingo header), the bird was adopted organically by demonstrators seeking to protect the Narta Lagoon, whose wetlands host thousands of migratory birds every year and are recognised as one of Albania's most important habitats.

In a country where birds have long carried meanings extending far beyond the natural world, the latest political contest has once again taken flight.