18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Unseen Colors

During the rainy season the beautiful flamingos adorn the Rift Valley with their long-legs, long-neck, black beak, and pink feathery coats. It is indeed feasting to our eyes we will feel like we are at a beauty pageant. Unfortunately, recent climate changes aren't favorable for these delicate beauties, and their numbers are gradually decreasing. Something different about these birds is their feeding style, they feed with their head upside down. The lower beak is fixed, and the top one is able to move which is the opposite of most birds, but perfectly adapted for upside-down eating the way that flamingos do. The beak has a filtration system that allows them to strain the food from the sand, under the water. I was fortunate enough to spend a good time clicking as many pictures as I could because everything out there was a unique frame for me as you can see in the pictures.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 02.2019
Date Uploaded: 08.2020
Photo Location: Lake Turkana, Kenya
Camera: NIKON D5
Copyright: © THOMAS VIJAYAN