🦩 Why are flamingos pink?

The flamingo is a pink bird that stands gracefully on one leg. Let's discover the secret of its pink color and meet its dancing flock.

📷 A flamingo with pink feathers and a long neck curved in an S shape.

What kind of animal is the flamingo?

Flamingos are born with gray fluffy feathers. As they grow, pigments from the tiny shrimp and algae they eat build up in their bodies, and they slowly turn pink. That's why some flamingos are deep pink and others are pale, depending on what they eat.

Flamingos feed in shallow lakes and mudflats. They bend their long necks, dip their heads upside down into the water, and use comb-like parts inside their beaks to filter the water and mud, keeping only the tiny food.

Flamingos are famous for resting and even sleeping on one leg. It's thought that tucking one leg into their feathers helps them keep warm and save energy. When a big flock of flamingos walks and turns their heads together, it looks just like a group dance.

🔍 Things to observe

• In a photo of a flamingo standing on one leg, find where the other leg is.
• Look at how its head turns upside down when it eats.
• Compare the colors of a baby flamingo and an adult.

🖍️ Tips for drawing together with your child

• Draw an egg-shaped body with a long neck bent in an S shape and thin legs.
• Stretch one leg straight and fold the other to get a true flamingo pose.
• Paint a sunset sky in red and orange, and Ballerina Fla will want to dance.

💬 Let's talk about it

• If your body changed color to match the food you ate, what color would you be?
• How does it feel to stand on one leg for a long time?

🏪 In the game: Ballerina Fla