You may have heard of the flamingo egg and its infamous pink hue. While the plumage of this bird is pink, the skin and blood are not. The flamingo egg is not pink, and the rumor is true that it is, but there are photos online of a flamingo egg with a pink yolk. However, these photos are photoshopped and are not the real thing.
A flamingo egg is an elliptical shaped sac that usually contains white to light blue colored embryonic cells. Female flamingos lay up to two eggs at a time. The flamingos stand and alternate between sitting on the egg. The egg itself is not recovered. The chicks spend their first few days on earth with their parents. They are also said to have a close bond with their offspring.
Although a flamingo’s egg yolk is yellow or orange in colour, it has also been photographed as pink. This colouring is largely due to the carotenoid content of their diet, which is the same reason for the pink appearance of their feathers. However, the flamingo’s egg yolk is not a simple task to determine because of the colour of other parts of the bird. For this reason, the color of a flamingo’s feathers is often difficult to determine.
While flamingos may have a red-orange color, the bird’s body is white. They acquire their bright pink color by eating algae and brine shrimp, which contain carotenoids and other nutrients. Flamingos feed by searching for food with their feet and by catching insects with their beaks and legs. Their heads are turned upside-down while they feed. This allows them to feed without the need for air.
Unlike other birds, flamingos do not have mammary glands. Their upper digestive tracts produce crop milk, which is similar to human breast milk. It contains proteins, fat, and red and white blood cells. Flamingo chicks are fed crop milk by both parents, which gradually gives them their pink color. Unlike mammalian milk, the flamingo’s crop milk is high in fat and red, and its color is brighter than the chick’s.
Flamingo eggs hatch within 24 to 36 hours. During this time, the baby flamingo will call continuously until it hatches. The flamingo egg is adorned with a tooth-like tooth that is not real and will fall off once the chick hatches. Flamingo parents are extremely concerned about the egg’s safety and the hatching of their chick, but they have no power over the hatching process.
During incubation, flamingo eggs are placed in a shallow mound of mud with a small hole. The nest is constructed by both parents, and the egg takes anywhere from five to six weeks to complete. The adult birds will use feathers, stones, and sticks to build the nest. They take turns feeding the chick for about 27 to 31 days, after which the chick joins the nursery.