The J.N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling National Wildlife Refuge reported that roseate spoonbills are not born with their bubblegum bearing. When they first emerge from their whitish to pale green eggs with brown spots, the hatchlings are covered in a soft, white, feathery down. A spoonbill\u2019s diet consists partly of crustaceans that contain a pink pigment referred to as a \u201ccarotenoid.\u201d As juvenile spoonbills begin to consume the diet, the pigment pinkens their feathers, giving them their iconic rosy plumage. In addition to their white bodies, juveniles have fluffy white feathers adorning their heads. As a spoonbill ages, its feathers fall off to reveal the bald, scaly head noticeable in adults. The metamorphosis into adulthood is completed with a chromatic change in a spoonbill\u2019s eyes, as they shift color from a chocolate brown to a deep scarlet as a spoonbill reaches maturity. The J.N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling National Wildlife Refuge is at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel.<\/p>\n