Few animals catch the eye quite as much as the flamingo does. With their bright pink (or orange) feathers, they can easily be seen from a mile away, but have you ever wondered why they look this way? Unlike most animals, flamingos are not born the color that they grow up to be, and there\u2019s a very good reason for it. Let\u2019s take a look at why.<\/p>\n

Shades of gray<\/h2>\n

When flamingos hatch out of the egg, their feathers are various shades of gray. Not what you were expecting to hear? It can take several years before they take on the pink hue that we most often associate with this family of birds. Until then, their feathers are pretty bland (though the birds themselves are still cute).<\/p>\n

Color change<\/h2>\n

The change in color is ignited by the flamingo\u2019s diet, which generally consists of algae and crustaceans. The more of it they eat, the more their gray feathers brighten up, but why? Well, these food sources have natural chemicals in them, and when they\u2019re consumed, they get broken down into a red-orange pigment. This is stored in a flamingos body as fat, which is used to help them develop and grow more feathers. As this happens, the pigment turns the feathers pink.
\nThe change isn\u2019t permanent, after all, feathers are easily lost on a daily basis. If the birds stop eating the food that contains these pigments, their color will fade. If you ever see a fully-grown flamingo that\u2019s white or gray, that\u2019s the reason why.<\/p>\n