A pink colored pigeon was rescued from a Manhattan park by a local bird lover and a wildlife group said the bird was “deliberately dyed” for a gender reveal or wedding.
The feathered victim had a bright pink hue and was malnourished when she was found in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park on Monday, according to the Wild Bird Fund.
“Pigeons have many different colors and plumages, but pink is not one of them,” the tweet read. “It’s a domestic pigeon that was deliberately dyed this color and released.”
The Upper West Side non-profit bird rehabilitation group said the pigeon may have been used for a gender reveal or other celebration and warned of the dangers of using live birds like gifts.
“Please never release pet birds into the wild. Not for weddings, funerals, celebrations, art projects, anything. (We hope “don’t dye them” goes without saying, but…) They will starve or be preyed upon,” said the group on Twitter.
The painted pigeon showed “signs of long-term malnutrition” but was “now being safely cared for”.
“This poor bird is hurting enough as a domestic bird unable to find food in the wild, fly well or escape predators, but its unusual bright color makes it even more focused. He is also barely more than a baby bird, but has been showing signs of malnutrition for longer,” the group said.
The Big Apple is “a major stopover” for more than 355 bird species along the East Coast – many of which are injured flying into buildings or preyed upon by cats, vehicles or “human interference” of New Yorkers.
The Madison Square Park pink pigeon may have been purchased at a poultry market and likely has never flown before, ABC-TV said in a report Tuesday.
