When grooming, in addition to tidying their feathers, pink flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus ) apply a pigment as make-up that enhances their striking color.
The study, carried out by scientists from the CSIC in the wetlands of southern Andalusia and published in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology , reveals the existence of carotenoid pigments in the secretions of the uropygial glands that birds have near the base of the tail. These red-orange pigments are identical to those that give color to feathers.
The findings not only show that the animals themselves use their secretions as cosmetics to modify the color of the feathers . In addition, researchers have found that the coloring depends on the amount of pigment they apply. Rubbing takes time, and the more often they do it, the more makeup they are. If they stop doing so, the color of their plumage fades within a few days because the carotenoids quickly bleach in the sunlight. Flamingos apply these pigments especially when they are in groups, which suggests that they play an important role when looking for a mate. In addition, the more colorful birds get better food and start breeding earlier than the paler ones. As if this were not enough, it has been shown that females make up much more frequently than males, just as it happens in humans.
