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Flamingos walk through a brine pond in the National Flamingo Reserve on August 27, 2022 near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. According to conservationists, flamingo populations have declined as much as 20 percent in areas near Lithium mining. Mining companies say that underwater brine extraction for lithium extraction has had minimal effect on the wildlife population. The reserve is home to all three known species of South American flamingos, who feed on brine shrimp, algae and plankton which thrive in the salty water there. Their diet gives flamingos their pink hue, from pigments that metabolize in their feathers, facial skin and elsewhere. Flamingos have a special gland which allows them to drink salt water, and they have the longest proportional neck of any bird species, allowing them to dig deeper into brine pools for food and more easily spot predators. The Chilean flamingo is considered near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
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