Flamingos hatch with gray or white-gray down rather than bright pink feathers.
A newly hatched flamingo has soft, fluffy plumage, a straight bill and legs that do not yet resemble the elegant adult bird. The familiar pink color develops gradually as the chick grows and begins eating food containing carotenoid pigments, including algae and small aquatic organisms.
Those pigments are processed by the bird’s body and deposited in its feathers, skin and bill. The amount and type of pigment in the diet influence how vivid an adult flamingo becomes. A diet lacking those pigments can cause captive birds to appear paler.
Another common misconception is that flamingos are born pink because their parents are pink. In reality, chicks may remain gray or whitish for months. Their bills also change shape as they mature, eventually developing the specialized structure adults use to filter-feed in shallow water.