Flamingos are noted for their bright pink feathers. In this report I will tell why the flamingos are this color and how their color changes from birth to maturity. Besides this I will also give other information about these birds.
Many people know that a flamingo is a tall, bright pink pird. But how many know why they are pink? Few people know.
The reason flamingos are pink is found in the food they eat. "The brilliant red color of flamingo plumage derives from the rich sources of carotenoid pigments (similar to the pigments of carrots) in the algae that the birds consume either directly or secondarily." The Encyclopedia of Birds, page 84. The part about the flamingos consuming it secondarily means that the food they eat eats this type of algae. This type of algae is blue-green algae. The exact type of carotenoid is canthaxanthin.
When a flamingo first hatches, it is covered in grayish down. Its bill and legs are pink, but they change to black within a week.
Young flamingo's feathers are gray with brown and pink marks. Their bill and legs remain black until fully grown, when the canthaxanthin stored in their liver is released into their new feathers. Their bill also becomes more hooked and that and their legs become pink.
Full grown flamingos can be anywhere from 31-57 inches (80-145 cm) tall. They can weigh between 4.2-6.6 lb (1.9-3 kg).
Fossils of flamingos over 10 million years old have been found, showing that flamingos are an ancient group.
Now, since you are finished reading this report, you can add yourself to that list of people who know why flamingos' feathers are pink.
Resources
The Encyclopedia of Birds