American Flamingo

We spent four hours at the Sacramento Zoo with the family. Our five-year old grandson's favorite animal is the flamingo. I am always fascinated by their bright pink color, posturing, and ability to stand on one leg to rest or stay warm. The flamingo's different stances with it's long legs in different poses keeps me watching. According to the Fort Worth Zoo blog, WhoZoo, "What appears to be the flamingo's knee is actually its ankle."

I read about the flamingos on the zoo's billboard, but I left more curious than ever. How do the birds stay so pink in the zoo? At the Honolulu Zoo's website I learned more about their feeding habits in captivity. I found it interesting to learn, "The food that flamingos eat is rich in carotinoid pigments (named after the pigment found in carrots) which they use to create the pink coloration in their feathers. Without this pigment, their feathers would slowly bleach out and lose color, so in the Zoo they are fed a diet which has carophyll red pigment in it." In their natural habitats they eat shrimp and other crustaceans to keep their colors bright.

According to the Carrot Museum website, the carotene from carrots keeps our hair and skin nourished and healthy looking just like the carotinoids keep the flamingo colorful and healthy. Give your skin that healthy glow with a diet rich in carotene.


30 minutes walking