Flamingo's pink color comes from its diet!

Flamingos get their pink color from a pigment called carotenoids, which they obtain from their diet.

These pigments are found in the algae, shrimp, and other aquatic organisms that flamingos eat.

Flamingo

When flamingos consume these foods, their bodies absorb the carotenoids and deposit them in their feathers and skin, resulting in their characteristic pink hue.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

These are naturally occurring pigments that give many plants and animals their vibrant colors, like the orange in carrots or the pink in shrimp.

Flamingos are filter feeders, meaning they eat a wide variety of small organisms from the water, including algae, brine shrimp, and other crustaceans.

When flamingos eat foods rich in carotenoids, their bodies absorb the pigments, which are then deposited in their feathers and skin.

The amount of carotenoids in a flamingo's diet determines the intensity of their pink color. Young flamingos are born with gray feathers, but their color develops over time as they eat more and more carotenoid-rich foods.