Flamingo

The bright pink colour of flamingos comes from pigments called carotenoids, which the birds acquire from their prey, but carotenoids fade quickly in sunlight, so flamingos' feathers bleach over time.

Donald "Don" Featherstone is an American artist who is most widely known for his 1957 creation of the Plastic Pink Flamingo while working for Union Products. They are generally sold in sets of two; one holding its head erect, nearly 3 feet high, the other bending over as if looking for food.

The majority of lakes where flamingos live have extremely high concentrations of salt. The only source of fresh water for some of these birds comes from boiling geysers. They are capable of drinking water at temperatures that approach boiling point.

All flamingos feed with their bills upside-down. They tip their head into the water and filter feed, using special hair like adaptations in the top half of their bill, to gather the microorganisms that make up their diet. Both male and female adults, provide their young with a type of milk called crop milk.