But did you know that flamingos were not always pink, they were born with grey feathers!

Then how do they have pink feathers? 

It’s because of their diet; they eat algae and tiny shrimps which contains of carotenoids.

Carotenoid is orangish-pink pigment.  So, when flamingos eat algae and shrimp, then after some time, its liver extracts the coloured pigments, the pigments are then absorbed by the fats these fats then start depositing in the flamingo’s growing feathers. This makes the flamingos pink or orange.

   ·      Their name comes from the Portuguese or Spanish term “flamingo”, which means “flame-coloured.”

    ·      There are six known species of flamingos: The Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Jame’s Flamingo, Chilean Flamingo, Andean Flamingo and American Flamingo.

    ·      Flamingos live between 20 to 30 years.

    ·      A flamingo typically weighs 4 to 8 pounds – That’s only around 1kg to 3 kg.

    ·      Fully grown flamingos stand at 4ft to 5 ft tall.

    ·      They oldest flamingo recorded lived up to 82 years.

    ·      Flamingos don’t breathe while eating.

    ·      They are the national bird of Bahamas.