Greater flamingos in Tanzania
© DLILLC/Corbis/VCG Getty Images
Greater flamingos in Tanzania
Of the six species of flamingos around the world, the lesser flamingo is probably the most numerous. That’s despite the fact that the vast majority of lesser flamingos breed on a single lake here in Tanzania, called Lake Natron. This shallow lake has such high levels of alkaline that it would burn human skin. But some remarkable microbes called cyanobacteria just love the conditions of the lake. These cyanobacteria photosynthesise just like plants do, which changes their colour from blue-green to shades of deep red and orange. The lesser flamingos then eat the crimson cyanobacteria, which turns their feathers a dashing pink with red highlights.
Related Images
Ruff male displaying on Varanger Peninsula in Norway
Snowy owl
Grey crowned cranes forming a heart shape
Sandhill cranes taking flight over the Platte River near Kearney, Nebraska, USA
Grey wolf with flock of ravens in Finland
A rufous-tailed hummingbird in Costa Rica
Red-crowned crane in Hokkaido, Japan
Laysan albatross chick on Midway Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Bing Today Images
Kochia, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Oct 17, 2024
Ancient carved texts from Persepolis, Iran
Oct 17, 2023
Autumn leaves and goldfish in Tokyo, Japan
Oct 17, 2019
