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 suffering from malnutrition when found in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park on Monday, according to the Wild Bird Fund.
“Pigeons come in many different colors and plumages, but pink isn’t one of them,” the tweet said. “This is a domestic pigeon who was deliberately dyed this color and released.”
The Upper West Side nonprofit bird rehab group said that the pigeon might have been used for a gender reveal or other celebration and warned about the dangers of using live birds as party favors.
“Please never release domestic birds to the wild. Not for weddings, funerals, celebrations, art projects, anything. (We’d hope that “don’t dye them” goes without saying, but…) They will starve or be preyed on,” the group said on Twitter.
The painted pigeon showed “signs of long-term malnutrition” but was “now safely in care.”
“This poor bird has it bad enough as a domestic bird unable to find food in the wild, fly well or escape predators, but being a bright, unusual color makes him even more of a target. He’s also barely more than a fledgling but shows signs of longer malnutrition,” the group said.
The Big Apple is “a major stopover” for more than 355 species of birds along the East Coast — many injured by flying into buildings or falling prey to cats, vehicles or “human interference” by New Yorkers.
The Madison Square Park pink pigeon may have been purchased at a poultry market, and it’s likely it had not flown before, ABC 7 reported Tuesday.
