black flamingo (Photo : Reuters)
Not all flamingoes are pretty in pink. Many nature experts believe that photos of the world's only black flamingo have been taken in Cyprus, Greece. The bird spotted and photographed on the Greek island is extremely rare and possibly unique.
The bird could have melanism, a rare condition that influences skin pigments and turns birds' feathers black, according to Metro. The condition is so rare that this is the first picture that a photographer has captured of such a bird.
Experts believe it might be the same black flamingo that birdwatchers spotted in Israel in 2014.
The photos were taken at a salt lake close to the British RAF (Royal Air Force) base located near Limassol, a resort city. The city is located on the south coast of the island.
Scientists believe that the flamingoes made a pit stop at the Mediterranean island while traveling to their summertime Turkey breeding grounds. They stopped there to munch on brine shrimp.
Alexia Perdiou, an RAF environment officer, says that they are "very excited" about spotting the flamingo. She notes that the base is expecting "a lot" of visitors during the next couple of days.
Flamingos are typically pink or red, mostly because they consume blue-green algae and brine shrimp. Such foods contain canthaxanthin, a natural pink dye.
Pantelis Charilaou, a department head of the British Sovereign Bases, said that a melanistic animal is the "opposite" of an albino, according to Mirror. It results from an animal manufacturing more pigment than usual.
Martin Hellicar, from the conservation group BirdLife Cyprus, believes that the black flamingo is not unique. Nevertheless, he explains that this is the first black-colored flamingo that has been sighted in Cyprus in recent times.
