Locals baffled after mystery pink pigeon is spotted wandering town

People are flocking to social media in confusion after a pink pigeon showed up in a town in the UK.

While Elon Musk attempts to battle against Mark Zuckerberg over who has the biggest d**k and Jeremy Clarkson weighs in on someone getting caught joining the mile-high club, Brits are focusing on some much more important news.

Yes, the arrival of a pink pigeon in the small town of Bury in Greater Manchester is now bird-ening the minds of locals, social media users left baffled over why the usual grey bird appears bright pink.

Greater Manchester Police Bury North even took to Facebook over the egg-citing spotting of the pink bird.

The post reads: "Officers are out on foot patrol this afternoon as part of #OpHeartbeat Officers quickly came across a rare pink pigeon in the town centre.

"Have you seen Burys Pink Pigeon yet? Let us know & come and say hi when you spot us."

It is currently unknown as to why the pigeon is so pink, leading to people flocking to X - formerly known as Twitter - to try and figure out why.

One X user joked: "Barbie marketing getting out of hand."

"Haha my home town leading the news. People been talking about this all week on Facebook!" Another excitedly commented.

Facebook/ GMP Bury North

A third suggested: "It’s been eating beetroot :)"

However, a final more seriously theorised: "This was from someone’s gender reveal party. They buy these birds and have them painted blue or pink depending on the baby’s gender then they get released into the wild."

Indeed, the user's suggestion could well be correct as another pink pigeon was spotted across the pond in Madison Square park, New York, US earlier this year in February.

The domestic king pink pigeon - nicknamed Flamingo - was taken in by non-profit wildlife rehabilitation and education centre Wild Bird Fund who believe the pigeon was 'deliberately dyed' for a gender reveal ceremony.

Unfortunately, Flamingo passed away, with his death believed to have been 'caused by inhaling the toxins' from the dye.

Wild Bird Fund said in a post to Facebook: "Flamingo's story sparked a lot of emotion and generated interest from around the world. We hope the tale of his too-short life will help prevent more acts of careless cruelty.

Facebook/ Emma Louise Isherwood

"This king pigeon, a domestic bird likely raised for food, was malnourished, barely older than a baby and had no survival skills when he was released and left to fend for himself. Even without the added complication of the toxic dye, he would not have survived in a city park as a white, helpless bird.

"[...] This is no way to celebrate anything. Rest in peace, sweet bird."

However, there is also an endangered species of pigeon known as Nesoenas mayeri who are naturally pink, so here's hoping Bury's bird is one of those rather than an unfortunate grey pigeon covered in pink dye.

LADbible has contacted GMP and the RSPCA for comment.

If you see an animal in distress and or in need of help, contact the RSPCA's 24-hour animal cruelty line on 0300 1234 999 or visit their website for further advice. In the US, call SPCA on 212-244-SPCA (7722) Monday – Friday 9am-5pm EST or call 9111 if a crime is in progress.

Topics: Animals, UK News, Social Media

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.