The flamingo’s color changes as it ages.
Flamingos are often known for their bright pink feathers, but these birds actually only have red pigment in their feathers. The reason why they look pink is because of the way light bounces off the feather structure, which gives the appearance of a more vibrant color. In reality, flamingos are born with gray feathers that gradually turn pink as they age. The process is gradual and will take about two years to fully change colors. This is because flamingo feathers grow out in layers and each layer needs to be replaced before the next can change color.
Flamingos don’t just change color as they age; they also lose some of their pigment as well. Flamingos have two pigments that make up their feathers: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin makes up most of the flamingo’s coloring while pheomelanin makes up about 10%. As a flamingo ages, it starts losing its eumelanin pigments, leaving behind only pheomelanin.
