It’s not The Ugly Duckling!
It’s what’s called a melanistic greater flamingo or easier, a black flamingo!
I have recently stumbled upon an article reporting the “one and only black flamingo in the world.” This black flamingo is, in fact, living for more than two years in the salt ponds around Eilat, Israel. Discover amazing photos and an explanation of this extremely rare phenomenon.
A black flamingo?WTF! Several ornithology and seawatching blogs have posted photos of a dark flamingo, so-called melanistic Greater Flamingo, living peacefully with pink flamingos in the salt ponds around Eilat in Israel.
Recently, in February 2014, a wildlife photographer also caught a black-feathered flamingo again in Eilat, Israel. It’s most probably the same flamingo. Watch the following video:
What a distinctive bird! But why are actually flamingo turning black? The phenomenon behind is called melanism.
According to WIKIPEDIA, melanism is:
[quote_box_center] a development of the dark-colored pigment melanin in the skin or its appendages and is the opposite of albinism […] Melanism is adaptive meaning that dark individuals become fitter to survive and reproduce in their environment as they are better camouflaged.[/quote_box_center]
HuH?!? I don’t think these black flamingos are better camouflaged. Were all flamingos black before turning pink? Something went wrong here!
