A flamingo's color is linked to its food source
Flamingos are very distinctive looking birds. They have long legs, webbed feet, a curved neck and large black and white bills. But their most distinctive characteristic is their pink plumage; the feathers on their body, neck and heads all attain some shade of pink or coral coloring. The striking color is linked to the flamingo's diet.
Coloring
All flamingos have feathers in some shade of pink. The spectrum does, however, vary across different species. The brightest are the Caribbean flamingos whose feathers are vermilion or crimson. The palest species is the Chilean flamingo, whose plumage has only a very pale tinge of pink.
Color Source
The pink coloring of flamingo feathers is a result of the food the flamingo eats. The majority of their diet consists of small shrimp-like crustaceans that live in the mud and shallow water of the lakes and rivers of the flamingo's natural habitat. These crustaceans contain a chemical called beta-carotene that colors the feathers.
Beta-Carotene
Beta-carotene is a carotenoid chemical that is found in many fruits and vegetables as well as some animals. It is also found in egg yolks. Beta-carotene is colored yellow, red or orange and affects the color of the organism in which it is found by reacting with other chemicals. In human food, it is found in its greatest density in carrots, hence their bright orange color. Beta-carotene is thought to have properties similar to vitamin A and have antioxidant benefits that may help prevent diseases such as cancer.
Developing Color
Newborn flamingo chicks are not pink. They are born with gray or white downy feathers. Flamingos do not turn pink until they are approximately two years of age. By this time they will have fed on the crustaceans sufficiently for the beta-carotene to have built up in their bodies, turning the feathers pink.
Color in Captivity
Flamingos in captivity are invariably paler than their wild cousins. This is because they are given synthetic substitute feed rather than the natural crustaceans. Flamingos that have been brought into captivity from the wild will gradually lose their pink color as the beta-carotene recedes in its system. Most zoos feed their flamingos a special supplement to replace the beta-carotene and make the flamingos pink.
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