How Do Pink Flamingos Protect Themselves?
Easily recognized, flamingos have a long neck, curved bill and pink to red feathers. Flamingo feathers are initially white; the coloration comes from a carotenoid pigment found in their food that deposits in fatty tissues, skin and feathers (just as human skin will turn orange from beta carotene if you eat too many carrots). A bright pink bird on a salty, flat, blue lake devoid of vegetation should be an easy target. Yet adult flamingos are able to protect themselves in multiple ways.
