Flamingo chicks hatch with grey or whitish down and only develop the iconic pink and orange hues later as dietary pigments accumulate in their feathers and tissues
Hatchling appearance
Newly hatched flamingos are covered in soft grey or pale down and their bills are straight and underdeveloped. The dull colour helps chicks blend into nesting sites and provides little of the social signalling adult plumage does, while parents supply rich, proteinaceous crop milk to sustain rapid growth in early weeks.
Dietary pigments and colouration
The familiar pink and orange tones of adult flamingos come from carotenoid pigments in their food, primarily algae, brine shrimp and other crustaceans. Flamingos ingest these pigments, metabolise them and deposit the pigment molecules into growing feathers, skin and the keratin of bills, gradually turning plumage from grey to pink over months to years depending on species and diet quality.
Variation and environmental influences
Colour intensity varies between individuals, populations and species because it reflects available food sources. Birds with access to carotenoid‑rich diets develop deeper pinks, while those in degraded habitats or with limited pigmented prey remain paler. Seasonal changes in food availability and health also affect feather pigmentation and brightness.
Takeaway
Flamingos are not born pink. Chicks start out grey and only acquire their striking colours through the accumulation of dietary carotenoids, a process that ties appearance directly to diet, environment and social signalling in the life of these charismatic birds.