Colourful animals
Flamingos
A mandrill
Mandrills are the biggest kind of monkey. Male mandrills have bright faces and bottoms.
The bright colours show how strong and old they are. The strongest male mandrills have the brightest colours on their faces and bottoms!
Langur monkey
Langur monkeys are born with bright orange fur. The colour starts to fade and turn dark when they are about 3 months old.
A mandarinfish
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Parts of this fish look blue because they reflect blue light. Light is made up of the colours of the rainbow.
The blue poison dart frog
Frogs are amphibians. Some amphibians are poisonous. The poison in their bodies may kill a predator if it tries to eat them. Their bright skin warns predators to stay away.
A pair of lovebirds
Lovebirds are small parrots. Male and female lovebirds are brightly coloured. When a lovebird finds a partner, they stay together for life. They make nests in trees.
A peacock
Peacocks are males. The females are called peahens. Peahens are dull brown. This makes it harder for predators to see peahens in bushes. Peahens hide in bushes to lay their eggs and to sit on them.
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When a peacock puts his long feathers down, they trail behind him. They are not his tail. His real tail is much smaller.
The peacock's wings are covered by the feathers on his sides.
Peacock feathers look like eyes!
A mandarin duck
You can see mandarin ducks in the wild in England. These ducks came from China.
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Just like peacocks and peahens, the males have bright coloured feathers, but the females have dull colours. Females are dull grey and brown.
A golden pheasant
You can see golden pheasants in some woods and forests in England. Females are dull brown. You know why!
A toucan
The toucan's mouth is called a bill. Some toucans have bills as long as their bodies! Toucans eat fruit, insects, frogs, lizards, and even other birds' eggs. Toucans live in forests of Central and South America.
* Fact from SciShow video Why are flamingos pink?