About
Flamingos are famous for their vivid pink plumage — which they are not born with. Flamingo chicks are born white or grey; their pink color comes entirely from carotenoid pigments (the same family as beta-carotene in carrots) in the algae and crustaceans they eat. Flamingos in captivity fed plain diets fade to white.
Flamingos stand on one leg to conserve body heat — an instinct, as they do it both in warm and cold conditions. They feed by holding their heads upside down and filtering water and mud through specialized lamellae. Flamingo colonies can number in the millions; the Rift Valley lakes of East Africa can turn pink from horizon to horizon.
# Top 10 Flamingo facts
- 1Flamingos are white at birth — their pink color comes entirely from carotenoid pigments in their food
- 2They feed by holding their heads upside down, filtering water through specialized comb-like structures
- 3A flamingo's knee joint bends in the opposite direction from what you think — what looks like a knee is actually an ankle
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Flamingos are white at birth — their pink color comes entirely from carotenoid pigments in their food
- ◆They feed by holding their heads upside down, filtering water through specialized comb-like structures
- ◆A flamingo's knee joint bends in the opposite direction from what you think — what looks like a knee is actually an ankle
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