The red colour of birds like flamingos is produced by
A
Simple reflection
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B
Pigment melanin
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C
Pigment carotenoids
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D
Small crystals of mercuric oxide in its plumage
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Solution
The correct option is C Pigment carotenoids Flamingos are large birds that are identifiable by their long necks, sticklike legs and pink or reddish feathers. The pink and reddish colors of a flamingo's feathers come from eating pigments found in algae and invertebrates. Flamingos are pink because the algae they consume are loaded with beta carotene, an organic chemical that contains a reddish-orange pigment. (Beta carotene is also present in many plants, but especially in tomatoes, spinach, pumpkins, sweet potato and, of course, carrots.) The mollusks and crustaceans flamingos snack on contain similar pigment-packing carotenoids. Carotenoid levels in their food vary in different parts of the world, which is why American flamingos are usually bright red and orange, while lesser flamingos of the drought-plagued Lake Nakuru in central Kenya tend to be a paler pink.