Why do flamingos have pink feathers?

Flamingos have pink feathers due to the pigments found in the food they eat, specifically the carotenoid pigments in algae and crustaceans like brine shrimp. These pigments are broken down in the flamingo’s digestive system and absorbed into the bloodstream, where they are stored in the liver and then deposited in the feathers, skin, and beak. The more carotenoids in their diet, the pinker their feathers become. Juvenile flamingos are born with gray feathers, and it takes several years for them to develop their iconic pink coloration.