Are Flamingos Pink? If Not What Other Colors Are They?

Flamingos are one of my favorite birds. They’re so graceful and their color palette is simply stunning. However, I was recently surprised to find out that not all flamingos are pink.

There are several different types of flamingos, each with its unique color scheme. If you’re curious about flamingos and want to learn more about their coloration, this article is for you!

How Flamingos get pink skin

A flamingo’s pink skin is not a hereditary trait – this means that they were not born pink. According to expert Zoologists, flamingos are born white or dull grey. So how do they get their pink skin?

Well, it’s primarily caused by their diet. The food that they eat – algae, brine shrimp, and brine fly larvae – contains high amounts of carotenoids. These are the pigments in plants and certain sea creatures that give them their bright orange, yellow and red colors.

Once the flamingos consume these plants, the pigment is metabolized inside of the digestive system – turning their body and feathers pink. Some flamingos are brighter in color than others. This is primarily due to the amount of carotenoid-rich food they consume.

With that being said, the Caribbean flamingo is the brightest. In the Caribbean, carotenoids can be found in abundance. A fun fact to know is that flamingos eat upside down.

The reason being is because it has evolved to do so. Its top bill (beak) functions as a bottom bill and vice-versa. So, in other words, its bottom bill is much larger and stronger, so it has to turn its head upside down to eat to accommodate that.

This is the complete opposite of any other bird. They have long legs that allow them to wade in deep water to look for food. Once they find an area, they take their feet and stir up food from the bottom of the water – then dunk their head in to eat.

They use their tongue to filter out water or any other thing they don’t want to eat.

Can flamingos be other colors?

The feather colors of a flamingo … Read the rest of the story.

from Nature Nibble https://ift.tt/nUsxE2h