Flamingos Use “Makeup” to Keep Their Feathers Pretty in Pink

Scientists have observed flamingos touching up their pink color by smearing themselves in a serum they produce in a gland near their tails. Researchers published in Ecology and Evolution that Greater flamingos aren’t just boosting the color that’s already there, the animals are actively fighting against sun bleaching.

Flamingos get their natural light reddish pigment from carotenoids, consumed in their diet of brine shrimp and algae. However, the sun’s radiation can cause carotenoids to break down.

Flamingos preen similarly to how humans do their hair. The birds clean out dirt and parasites that have accumulated in their feathers, and like many humans, they add color.

Flamingos use their cheeks to spread secretions from their uropygial gland onto their feathers and sway their necks to make sure the cosmetic sticks. This touch of “rouge” is key for attracting a mate. Colorful feathers signal to a potential partner that the bird is in good health.

Science shows feathers with a thicker coating of fluid from the uropygial gland hold their color better than feathers with less or no coating. Because flamingos live in large flocks, this ritual holds significant social importance.

During mating season, flamingos actively work to coat their neck feathers in this DIY “blush” to prevent pale feathers. After finding a mate and hatching a chick together, flamingos stop the cosmetic behavior (at least until the following mating season).

Biologist Maria Cecilia Chiale jokes, “[Flamingos] don’t need to have makeup on while they’re raising the kids.”