One of Nakuru County’s greatest resource is the world renowned Lake Nakuru, and one thing that sets the Lake apart is the large number of the flamingoes that are a favourite to many bird watchers.
The flamingoes are a beauty to behold and no insignia in Nakuru is complete without the flamingos in their pink colour. Even the county has adopted pink as its official colour in its billboards.
What many people may not know is that were it not for their diet, flamingoes would not be as beautiful as they look. The adage that you are what you eat can best be demonstrated by the flamingoes in Lake Nakuru which feed exclusively on algae.
When they are hatched, young flamingoes are coloured grey. However, as they grow feeding on an algae rich diet, their feathers, beak and feet gradually turn a bright rosy pink and this is the colour the flamingoes are famous for.
According to scientists, the algae is rich in a pigment called carotenoid which is responsible for turning the flamingoes into their characteristic pink. After the opigment has been extracted by the digestive system it is dissolved in fats and then deposited in new feathers as they grow.
One wonders if the flamingoes would be so beautiful and popular if they fed on something different and their colour wasn't pink.