TIFTON — Most birds fly south for the winter, but during the month of February flamingoes will be taking over front yards in Tift County.

The annual Flamingo Flocking is the Tift County Council on Child Abuse’s fundraiser to raise awareness about and funds to fight child abuse in the area.

Lillie McEntyre, executive director for the Tift County Commission on Children and Youth, said that the flamingos have been flocking in Tifton for more than 24 years.

“It is the child abuse council’s way of raising awareness in the community for child abuse and neglect,” McEntyre said. “Also it’s our way of involving the community and we use it as a fundraiser.”

Whoever hosts the migrating flock pays a small removal fee to the council, who will then relocate the flock to another location of the previous host’s choosing.

After the initial flocking, the flamingos will divide into two flocks, which will migrate around town with help from the all-volunteer staff of the Council on Child Abuse.

McEntyre said that the flock of plastic pink flamingoes has grown over the years due to donations from past flockees.

The first flockee of the year was Joe West, assistant dean for the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus, who said that it was a fun, neat idea.

“It’s for a very good cause,” West said. “Child abuse is a terrible crime and a terrible mistreatment of children. If we can do anything to raise money to help prevent that and improve the life of a child then it’s well worth doing.”

Two students from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College helped place the flamingoes. Kaylee Louthan, a nursing major and soccer player, and Grace Padgett, a duel writing/communications major and rural development major, volunteered for the first flocking.