Abdim's Stork, Ciconia abdimii, also known as the White-bellied stork, is a stork belonging to the family Ciconiidae.

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The colored skin of many birds is due to pigments, molecules that differentially absorb and emit wavelengths of visible light. Carotenoids are the pigments responsible for colorful skin (as well as feathers) in many birds, and typically generate a red, orange, or yellow hue. Birds cannot synthesize carotenoids so must acquire them in their diet. As a result, variation in carotenoid-based skin (or feather) coloration can provide conspecifics with information about individual quality and, specifically, the ability of different individuals to acquire a limited resource (Negro et al. 2002).

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Size: 3280px × 4928px
Location: London Zoo, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Dominic Robinson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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