Why are flamingos pink?
For grown-ups: the science
Flamingos are pink because pigments in the shrimp and algae they eat color their new feathers.
Flamingos obtain carotenoid pigments from algae and small animals such as brine shrimp. These pigments are absorbed, transported in the body, and deposited in growing feathers, skin, and bills. Young flamingos are gray or white and become pinker as they consume carotenoid-rich food.
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Transcript
Look at those tall birds standing in the water. Why do flamingos have pink feathers?
Flamingos eat tiny water animals and plants, like shrimp and algae. These foods have natural colors called pigments.
The pigments travel through a flamingo's body and into new feathers. They can make the feathers pink or orange.
A baby flamingo starts out gray or white. As it grows and eats these foods, its new feathers can turn pink.
So flamingos get their pink color from the food they eat. Their feathers show the colors from their meals!