The Flamingo: A Bird of a Different Color
Posted at 3:11 pm October 13, 2009 by CelenaZoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.
It is always delightful to visit the flamingo habitat at the San Diego Zoo! The dozens of lanky looking birds range in color from soft peach tones to boldly pigmented pinks. Some birds shift through the murky water while others stand single-legged complacently. As we observed these extravagant birds, Cindy Spiva-Evans, our guide, explained that the pink pigment is attributed to their diet of shrimp. We also learned that their long legs aid them to wade into deeper waters to obtain food.
I had personified flamingos as assertive, daffy, rambunctious, and even quarrelsome. Their gangly appearance had been imprinted in my brain and it seemed to me that my perception of a flamingo was the standard one: a tall, pinkish bird that behaves in a bickering way. Ms. Spiva-Evans continued to explain that, “Each person will have their different experience of the bird,” based on their insights and experiences. For example, an animal behaviorist may look at a group of flamingos and notice how a young flamingo reacts while trying to learn a new skill. A marine biologist may think of the effect the flamingo has on the crustacean population. Never had I thought that these personalities I had fixated on the flamingo were based on my own view; I had assumed that others had seen what I had.
As the flamingos busily minded their own business, squawking and splashing, it became clear that because each person is subject to their own interpretations, communication is important to share these perceptions. The sharing of individual views can create a positive working atmosphere that can be used to solve problems, such as habitat loss. Tolerance of others’ views is also necessary because of diverse outlooks. “Be open to the world,” encouraged Ms. Spiva-Evans. The seemingly regular trip to the flamingo habitat proved to be a mind-opening experience after all!
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October 15th, 2009 at 11:14 am
A very well-written observation. Never thought of flamingos as interesting, but after reading your observation, I definitely will take a longer pause when I visit the flamingos. Thanks for opening a new world that I thought before as ordinary.