vivid pink American flamingos on a black background

Why Birds Matter, and Are Worth Protecting

They help the environment, but they also help our souls. In 2018 we’ll explore the wonder of birds, and why we can’t live without them.

An American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) comes into the world with white plumage; its striking color derives from organic pigments called carotenoids in its diet of mollusks, crustaceans, and algae. Its bizarre beak makes more sense upside down, as it is when the bird is filter feeding, head inverted.
PHOTOGRAPHED AT LINCOLN CHILDREN’S ZOO, NEBRASKA
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