Do you know why flamingos are pink

The word "flamingo" going on from the Spanish flamengo, "the color of the flame." And as you can see, the coloration of these birds is really quite catchy.

There are six types of flamingos in total, and they meet in Europe in southern Spain, France and Sardinia, Africa, the Caucasus, Southeast and Central Asia, and South and Central America.

The natural coloration of these birds is dull gray. And the unusual color of their plumage is an acquired trait. The fact is that the peculiar appearance of them gives food.

These birds inhabit in lakes and swamps with such salty or alkaline water that other animals do not take root there. Flamingos are fine.

They eat crustaceans, insect larvae, worms, shellfish and algae, which are found in shallow water. Prey from high pH waters could harm any other birds, but flamingo livers are easily splits harmful substances. So they can eat such food that no one else will take into their mouths.

Most of the flamingo's diet is very rich. carotenoids - pigments that give color to most red fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes and carrots. And they stain feathers, skin, mucous, fat, and even egg yolks. Therefore, flamingos acquire such an extravagant shade.

Imagine that you will eat one carrot for the rest of your life. The body will quickly acquire a persistent pale orange hue. So do flamingos.

bird pigment assimilate only pink - unfortunately, you can't feed them blue food coloring to make the flamingos sapphire. The brightness of the color helps them choose a mate during the mating season: the pinker the boyfriend, the more successful he is a hunter.

But exist and rather pale members of the genus, such as the Andean flamingos or the James flamingos.

Their diet is not as rich in carotenoids as in red flamingos, and does not affect their color as much. So, as you can see, heredity has nothing to do with it.