Flamingos are birds belonging to the genus Phoenicopterus , of which three living species are known, Phoenicopterus chilensis (Chilean flamingo), Phoenicopterus roseus (common flamingo) and Phoenicopterus ruber (pink flamingo) , all of them pink when they are adults.
This unique bird of great size and peculiar appearance, is able to travel long distances during the time of migration.They live in wetlands, where they feed and raise their chicks , only one per couple.At birth, the chickens are white-gray with certain black areas of the body but, when they reach adulthood, they acquire a marvel and characteristic pink color.
In this article of Animals and Pets Online We will discover how this bird acquires this emblematic bird and solve your doubt about because the flamingos are pink , don't miss it!
The color of the birds
The color of birds is the result of the accumulation of pigments in intergumentary structures (skin or, mainly, feathers).Birds do not produce all the pigments or colors that They look, most of them come from the diet.Thus, birds can create melanin, giving black or brown colors in their different shades, the absence of this pigment gives the color white, other colors such as the yellow, orange, red or green are acquired through feeding.
There is only one group of birds, belonging to the family Musophagidae , which synthesize true pigments in addition to melanin, these Pigments are uroporphyrin III that gives a violet color and turacoverdin, the only truly green pigment known in birds.
The plumage of birds has a multitude of functions , such as camouflage , the search for a couple or the establishment of the territory.Likewise, the feathers of a bird can give us a lot has information about the individual , such as their state of health, age, sex, lifestyle and life in which they are.
Usually, birds change their feathers at least once a year, this molt does not occur randomly, each region of the body throws the feathers at a given time.In addition, there are specific molts that only occur before the zeal or reproductive moment of the species , giving rise to a different plumage than the rest of the year, usually more colorful and striking, whose purpose is to find a partner.
The color and shape of the feathers are determined by the genetics and hormonal influence .The feathers are mainly composed of keratin, a protein, which is produced and organized by the epidermal cells before the pen begins to exit through a follicle in the skin.Variations in keratin structure produce optical effects which, together with the different dist Pigment distribution gives rise to different color patterns in birds.
Discover also which is the largest bird in the world.
What do flamingos eat?
The flamingos are filtering birds.To feed they immerse the head in the water, placing it between the legs.With the help of these and the beak they remove the sandy bottom causing the organic matter to enter its beak, then close it and, pressing with the tongue, they make the water come out, leaving the food trapped in some lamellae that are on the edge of the beak, in the form of a comb.
The diet of Flamingos are diverse and unselective due to the mode of feeding.When they filter water, flamingos can consume small aquatic organisms, such as insects, crustaceans, molluscs, worms, algae and protozoa.
Why are flamingos pink?
Of all the organisms that the flamingos feed on, they can acquire pigments, but it is especially the Artemia salina , which gives this bird its pink color.This small crustacean he lives in very brackish marshes, hence his name.
When flamenco ingests them, during digestion, pigments are metabolized so that they bind to fat molecules, traveling to the skin and from there, to the feathers when the molt occurs.one of the characteristics of the most notable flamingos.Flamingo pups do not acquire the color pink until they change to adult plumage.
On the other hand, it is known that flamenco males, during the mating season , they extract an oil from their uropigial gland, located on the base of the tail, of a strong pink color and spread it by the feathers to thus have a more attractive appearance for females.
Do you want to know where the flamingos live? Then you can't miss our article about the flamingo habitat in Spain.
If you want to read more articles similar to Why are flamingos pink? , we recommend you go to our Curiosities section of the animal world.
Bibliography
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Brush, AH (1990).Metabolism of carotenoid pigments in birds.The PHASEB Journal, 4 (12), 2969-2977.
Curto, ED (2006).Artemia, the shrimp of salt.Banados del Rio Dulce and Mar Chiquita lagoon (Cordoba, Argentina), National Academy of Sciences, Cordoba, Argentina, 161-171.
Fox, DL,&McBeth, JW (1970).Some dietary carotenoids and blood-carotenoid levels in flamingos.Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 34 (3) , 707-713.
Ralph, CL (1969).The control of color in birds.American Zoologist, 9 (2), 521-530.
Yokoyama, S., Radlwimmer, FB,&Blow, NS (2000).Ultraviolet pigments in birds evolved from violet pigments by a single amino acid change.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 97 (13), 7366-7371.
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