Leana Kuster’s Image
Leana Kuster (Switzerland) shows a greater flamingo scratching its head with one of its unmistakably long legs.
While on holiday in southern France, Leana had been watching flamingos in the Camargue.
They moved gracefully through the shallow, saline wetlands, filter feeding for molluscs and crustaceans.
Flamingos use their tongues to force water through their specially adapted bills, which are lined with many rows of fine, comb-like plates.
These plates help trap a species of brine shrimp called Artemia salina. This gives the birds their famous pink hue.