Make popping candy
21 February 2026
Make your edible space dust We’re going to make our own version of space dust! Whaaaaat?! Surely you need a
The animal kingdom is full of incredible colours. Birds in general sport some outrageous and beautiful feathers, but few are so iconic as the flamingo. It’s almost impossible to hear the word ‘flamingo’ without a flash of pink exploding in your brain, isn’t it?
Very few animals are naturally pink-coloured, that’s part of what makes flamingos so striking. There are six species of flamingo and the adults of these species vary in colour, from delicate pale rose to bright and fiery scarlet. But flamingos are not always pink! The chicks of all six species are grey or white when they hatch. That’s because their colouration is not something they are born with, it’s something they acquire.
The substance responsible for the flamingo’s flamboyant colouration is called a carotenoid. Carotenoids are found naturally in plants and algae, where they play an important role in photosynthesis (that’s the plant’s way of making food). Carotenoids colour things orange, red and yellow and can be found in large quantities in carrots and pumpkins. Some animals, such as flamingos, canaries and salmon are coloured by carotenoids too. But animal bodies cannot create their own carotenoids.
So where do the flamingo’s carotenoids come from then?
In the flamingo world you really are (the colour of) what you eat. Flamingos are wading birds. They live in the shallows of lakes and lagoons, where they spend their days gobbling up algae and the plankton that feed on it. This algae is packed full of carotenoids, which the flamingos absorb through their digestive system and store in fat cells, turning them pink or red. When these pigmented fat cells are deposited into new feathers, they turn them pink!
Apart from being a bold fashion statement, is there any benefit to being pink?
Well, if you’re a flamingo looking for love, then maybe. Flamingos can only be pink if they eat enough carotenoid containing food. The more of this food they eat, the pinker they are. So very pink flamingos must be fit, healthy and well fed. The colour of a flamingo sends a message to their prospective mate. It says: ‘Pick me! Pick me! My feathers are full of carotenoids because I’m really good at finding food.’ And it works. Studies have found that the brightest coloured flamingos tend to be fastest at finding a mate!
During the breeding season, some flamingos have a final trick up their sleeves. They produce a special red-coloured oil from a gland on their backs, called the uropygial gland.
This gland is unique to birds. It produces oils, which keep the feathers in tip top condition and –
in the case of some flamingos – glossy and pink. They use their cheek feathers to spread the brightly coloured oil all over their body, making them look even more fabulous than before.
If you’d like to see the effect of this shiny-feather oil first-hand, you can make your own flamingo makeup at home.
You will need:
– Carrot
– Grater
– Glass
– Oil
– Strainer
– Paintbrush
– Pale coloured feathers
1. Grate half of your carrot into a glass. Breaking down the carrot into smaller pieces makes it easier to extract the orange pigment, which is called beta-carotene.
2. Pour a generous glug of oil on top of the grated carrot and stir vigorously. The orange-coloured beta-carotene is transferred to the oil. This happens because beta-carotene is fat soluble, meaning it dissolves in oil.
3. Strain the oil into another container – use a sealable one if you wish to use it again later. Discard the grated carrot. The carotene-rich oil is either stored in the body (usually in body fat or the liver) or transported to the uropygial gland ready to be used.
4. Use the paint brush to transfer the oil onto the feathers. Some birds have specialised feather patches that act as brushes. They use these patches to spread oil from the uropygial gland over the rest of their feathers.
To discover more epic experiments, fun facts and perplexing puzzles then why not think about a subscription to AQUILA magazine!
Words: Dr. Jess French. Illustration: Kayley McKean
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