Photo of the day

Mexico’s Ria Celestún Biosphere Reserve is famous for its sheer variety of habitats, including mangrove forests that thrive in intermingled freshwater and saltwater. Through the tunnel of mangrove trees in today’s photo, you can spot some of the American flamingoes (Phoenicopterus ruber) that nest, feed, and breed in the nature reserve, where their population reaches an astonishing 23,000 birds. The American flamingo takes the prize as the biggest and most brightly colored of all flamingo species. Hidden away in the Ria Celestún Biosphere Reserve’s mangroves is also a wealth of other ocean life, from nesting turtles to shrimp and blue crab larvae that are the bedrock of this complex ecosystem.