Flamingos' Pink Color Explained: The Diet Connection

Young flamingos flaunt grey/white color feathers.

Pinkish color develops from the diet of brine shrimp and blue-green algae.

Their diet contains canthaxanthin, a pink dye that makes their feathers pink.

When they dine on algae and brine shrimp, their bodies metabolize the pigments found in these foods, which results in their signature pink feathers.

Canthaxanthin is both a colorant (pigment) and an antioxidant.