Roseate spoonbills aren’t flamingos. Any questions? Why are they pink? Great question! The
Roseate spoonbills aren’t flamingos. Any questions? Why are they pink? Great question! The pink coloration of the rosy spoonbill feathers is caused by an abundance of carotenoids present in the food the birds eat. As the spoonbill ages, the carotenoids accumulate from all of the aquatic animals it has eaten and the pink coloration becomes darker. The attractive feathers used to attract a breeding mate also attracted plume hunters and poachers in the 1800s that used the feathers to make fashion pieces such as ladies’ hats. By the 1930s, poaching and low reproductive success rates led spoonbill population numbers to drop to an estimated 30 breeding pairs. Conservation efforts by the federal government, as well as private citizens and organizations helped save the species and the population of roseate spoonbills has bounced back. Photo at Everglades National Park by Bob Branham, NPS. Photo description: A large pink and white colored bird spreads its wings as it takes flight from a grassy marsh. -- source link
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