Bizarre pink pigeon found in New York City may have been dyed

A pink pigeon found in New York City may have been intentionally dyed and released, a rescue group has suggested.

A passerby spotted the bird on Monday in Madison Square Park in Manhattan. The domestic king pigeon was taken to a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation and education centre called the Wild Bird Fund, located on the Upper West Side, according to ABC7.

The fund said the pigeon hasn’t flown previously and may have been bought at a poultry market. As it’s unable to find food, fly properly, or escape preying animals, the fund said it can’t remain in the wild.

Its colour also makes it more of a target. The fund said they think the bird was dyed on purpose, possibly for a baby’s gender reveal or as part of an experiment.

“Pigeons come in many different colors, but pink isn’t one of them. This king pigeon was deliberately dyed and released. As a domestic bird unable to find food in the wild, fly well or escape predators, this poor kid had it bad enough before being dyed,” the fund tweeted on Monday night. “He’s also barely more than a fledgling but shows signs of longterm malnutrition. Luckily a kind person rescued him in Madison Square Park, and he’s now safely in care.”

“Please never release a domestic bird to the wild. It will die of starvation or predation. If you find an all-white pigeon (or any odd color), especially one looking scared and lost, it needs help. Please catch it and contact us or a pigeon rescue org near you,” they added.

The fund added that the gender reveal theory is “growing in popularity”.

Asked if the pigeon will ever “molt” the feathers, the fund said, “we’ll try a few baths and see what happens. But eventually, he should molt them”.

“WTF is wrong with people? My guess is someone did it for a kid’s bday party or gender reveal. Sickening,” one Twitter user said.