Flamingos are So Pretty in Pink

Scientists had long assumed that flamingo feathers change color only when the plumage becomes faded by the sun or unintentionally stained by organic materials.

There's a reason why flamingos are so pretty in pink: The birds apply "makeup" to impress mates, a new study says.

Immediately after chicks were hatching, [adult] flamingos lost their pink color," he said.

Adults later regained their famous pink plumage, "yet they were not moulting, so we wondered if there was something cosmetic to consider."