Why do flamingos have such a strangely striking pink color?
Vietnam.vn EN
06/11/2025 00:05:00
The distinctive pink color of flamingos is not innate but comes from an unexpected element in their diet. What is the secret that makes this bird's feathers so brilliant?
Flamingos are long-legged birds that typically have bright pink feathers. This is the most distinctive feature of flamingos. Photo: Luca Nichetti/Shutterstock.com.
Many people are curious about the pink feathers of flamingos. According to experts, the pink color of flamingos is not a genetic trait. In fact, this bird is born with dull gray feathers. Photo: Wilfredo Rodríguez (A Britannica Publishing Partner).
Flamingos get their pink color from their diet. Flamingoes' pink feathers come from beta carotene, a red-orange pigment found in large quantities in algae, larvae, and brine shrimp, which flamingos eat in their wetland habitats. Photo: Alan Ward/Shutterstock.com.
In the digestive system, enzymes break down carotenoids into pigments that are absorbed by fat in the liver and deposited in the flamingo's skin and feathers. Photo: RollingEarth - iStock/Getty Images Plus.
To give their body features their colour, carotenoids must be consumed in huge quantities. Since the flamingo's diet consists almost exclusively of carotenoid-rich foods, the birds are able to colour their feathers themselves. Photo: discoverwildlife.
There are four species of flamingos in
the world , all of which originate from South Africa. Because they live in different locations and have different food sources, the colors of flamingos vary from place to place. Photo: Getty.
Some flamingos are darker or brighter pink while some are red and orange or completely white. Photo: Getty.
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