# Are flamingos Pink Because They Eat Shrimps?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-flamingos-pink-because-they-eat-shrimps/609264>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [January 12, 2012, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-flamingos-pink-because-they-eat-shrimps/609264 "2012-01-12T07:29:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-flamingos-pink-because-they-eat-shrimps/609264/1 "2012-01-12T07:29:55Z")

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[Here](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2305/are-flamingos-pink-because-they-eat-shrimps)

In this answer Cecil says one species is because of eating shrimps and another is because of the algae they eat.

However, this answer is only partially supported “The Book of General Ignorance” (2009 edition).

It says flamingos do eat shrimps, however the distinctive colouring comes from algae.

It also states there are four species of flamingo, not two as the article suggests.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-flamingos-pink-because-they-eat-shrimps/609264/2 "2012-01-12T08:07:48Z")

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Their feathers are pink due to carotenes in their diet, which are found in several diffferent sources, including algae and invertebrates (and the carotenes in the invertebrates are probably there because the invertebrates eat algae). So the best question here is really “what do wild flamingoes (of this or that species) typically eat?”

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-flamingos-pink-because-they-eat-shrimps/609264/3 "2012-01-12T15:37:41Z")

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Wiki says there are 6 species of flamingo.

It also says the carotenoids in brine shrimp come from the blue-green algae they eat, so flamingos are getting it first hand or second hand, depending on what they eat.

Cecil mentions “one species” and “another species”. This does not state there are only two species of flamingos, just that he only highlighted two species.

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**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-flamingos-pink-because-they-eat-shrimps/609264/4 "2012-01-13T03:19:30Z")

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Reminds me of what happens when people take in excessive amounts of colloidal silver. Their skin turns grey (aka [Argyria](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria)).

Excessive amounts? Who takes in **ANY** amount of colloidal silver. It appears that colloidal silver is a popular remedy in the _natural and healthy_ set. According to [this webpage](http://www.energiseforlife.com/benefits_of_colloidal_silver.php):

“[Colloidal silver] has been reported to be effective in fighting against: acne, AIDS, allergies, arthritis, athletes foot, boils, burns, candida, cystitis, diabetes, eczema, hay fever, indigestion, parasitic infections, psoriasis, ringworm, warts and yeast infections.”

And, as luck would have it, they’ll be more than happy to sell you some!

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**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-flamingos-pink-because-they-eat-shrimps/609264/5 "2012-01-13T04:59:07Z")

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> [@Irishman](#):
>
> Wiki says there are 6 species of flamingo.

From a read of Wikipedia, it suggests that the American and Chilean flamingos were once considered to be the same species as the Greater flamingo. Such beliefs have died out, but I can’t determine when that happened, or if a date can even be pinned down.