06/24/2026
It’s Pink Flamingo Day!! So naturally, here’s a bunch of photos of a not-so-pink flamingo chick... 🩶🦩
These photos follow Rio’s evolution from a fluffy white-feathered baby, to a gray “tween,” all the way to the pink(ish) flamingo he is today.
Flamingo chicks hatch with white-gray baby feathers, that are then slowly replaced by darker gray plumage in their juvenile months. 🥚
As they grow and molt, their new feathers take on the classic “flamingo-pink” hue. The color comes from carotenoids, a natural pigment in their diet that produces yellow, orange, and red tones.
Now a year old, Rio is more pink than gray, but he still has a few baby feathers left to lose. Look for the flamingo with little tufts of gray feathers to spot him! 💗