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Project Noah Nature School
Platalea ajaja
A bizarre wading bird, the bright pink Roseate Spoonbill uses its odd bill to strain small food items out of the water. Like the American Flamingo, their pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin. Another carotenoid, astaxanthin, can also be found deposited in flight and body feathers. The colors can range from pale pink to bright magenta, depending on age and location. Adults have a bare greenish head ("golden buff" when breeding) and a white neck, back, and breast (with a tuft of pink feathers in the center when breeding), and are otherwise a deep pink. The bill is grey.
Upper Texas Coast (UTC 082) BAY AREA PARK: This Harris County park is situated on Armand Bayou. It has a long board walk for excellent views of the upper part of the bayou. Two flew in to feed and preen.
First official stop on Part 2 of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail. It will cover the lower part of the Upper Texas Coastal Trail; Galveston, TX to Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge.
Spotted on Feb 28, 2013
Submitted on Mar 7, 2013
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