What gives flamingos their characteristic pink or reddish colour?

Carotenoid pigments in a flamingo’s diet give the bird its characteristic pink or reddish colour.

Flamingos obtain carotenoids from food such as algae, diatoms and small aquatic organisms. Their digestive systems absorb these pigments, which are deposited in feathers, skin and parts of the bill. The exact shade varies with species, diet and health.

Young flamingos are generally grey or whitish rather than bright pink. As they feed and grow new feathers, carotenoids gradually produce the colours associated with adult birds. Captive flamingos receive specially managed diets to help maintain normal pigmentation.

A common mix-up is thinking that flamingos are naturally born pink. They are not. Colour is a nutritional signal, and a bird with inadequate carotenoid intake may become noticeably paler. Flamingo feathers can also fade after moulting before the next coloured feathers develop.