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By Victoria
Gill
Science
and nature reporter, BBC News
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Flamingos in the wild use
pigments as "cosmetics" to enhance the
colour of their plumage, according to
scientists.
Researchers studying greater flamingos in
the wetlands of southern Spain found that
the birds rubbed pigmented secretions onto
their feathers.
They produce the pigments in glands near
the base of their tails.
The scientists describe in the journal
Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology how the
birds use the pigments to signal to
potential mates.
The researchers identified pigments called
carotenoids in the mixture of wax oil that
the birds secrete in their preen glands.
They noticed that, as well as smoothing and
tidying their feathers, many birds
deliberately rubbed their cheeks against the
preen gland and then immediately onto their
neck, breast and back feathers.
Reddish-orange carotenoid pigments in the
oils then brightened the signature pink hue
of the birds' feathers.
High maintenance
Juan Amat from the Donana Biological
Station in Spain led the study.
He said that the birds appeared to
"manipulate the colour of their plumage" as
a signal of their quality.
Since it takes time and energy to apply the
pigments, being more colourful could be a
powerful visual signal of a healthy,
well-nourished flamingo with time to take
care of its appearance.
"The rubbing is time-consuming," Dr Amat
told BBC News. "And the more frequently the
birds practise it, the more coloured they
appear.
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SOURCES
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"If the birds stop the rubbing, [their]
plumage colour fades in a few days because
carotenoids bleach quickly in the sunlight."
This means that, like with make-up,
frequent reapplication is necessary to stay
colourful.
The scientists have not directly
investigated how this cosmetic use benefits
the birds, but they think that the more
colourful flamingos might have more success
in finding a mate.
"We found that the more coloured birds
started breeding earlier than paler ones,"
explained Dr Amat.
"So by mating to a colourful bird an
individual may increase its reproductive
success, as from previous studies we know
that the first pairs to start breeding gain
access to the best breeding sites."
And there is more to the story of
cosmetic-using flamingos than this one
study, according to Dr Amat.
"We have data indicating that females
make-up much more often than males - just
like in humans," he told BBC News.
"Also, we know that flamingos apply make-up
more often in better habitats, and that the
more coloured birds obtain food of better
quality."
Professor Matthew Anderson from Saint
Joseph's University in Philadelphia, US,
said the study provided "convincing evidence
that plumage colouration may be involved in
mate choice in these birds".
He added: "The beautiful pink plumage of
flamingos has long captured the attention of
the general public. It [now] appears that
flamingos may be paying as much attention to
their vibrant colouration as we are."
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