A bright blue pigeon has baffled locals in a UK town, as fears were sparked about the grim reason for its hue.
Maidenhead residents were left utterly bamboozled after clocking the colourful bird hopping around their neighbourhood. Snap-happy Simon Bryson, 35, couldn’t resist capturing the bird’s unusual appearance.
He said: “I thought it looked quite peculiar I’d never seen a pigeon that colour before. I got closer and managed to get a few pictures of it.” Simon was particularly struck when he saw its wing display, remarking, “When it opened its wings, I thought it was really impressive.”
The car body repair expert added: “I’d heard of people dyeing pigeons before, but the inside of its wings were done so intricately.”
(Image: Simon Bryson / SWNS)
Offering his two pence on the dyeing debate, he said: “People were saying it might have been spray dyed, but I work in car body repairs, and I’ve never seen anyone manage to spray a car like that, let alone the wings of a pigeon.”
Simon also speculated on the bird’s possible owner, saying: “It seemed like it was almost supposed to be that colour. It looked like it had a collar on it, so it must belong to somebody.”
Considering its origins, he suggested: “I’m not quite sure whose it is it looks like it’s owned by somebody. It might be a racing pigeon or something.”
(Image: Simon Bryson / SWNS)
Eager to unravel the mystery, Simon turned to social media, sharing, “I shared some pictures on the local Facebook group and asked if anyone had ever seen a pigeon that colour before, or if anyone had spotted it in the local area.”
His posts didn’t just get likes; they sparked quite the conversation: “It garnered a lot of interest a lot of people commented and reacted. A lot of people got in contact with me and said they’d seen it too.
“I’ll be very interested to find out where it’s come from I think that’s what everyone is scratching their heads about at the moment!”
(Image: Simon Bryson / SWNS)
The bird, a striking blue, with splashes of pink and yellow on the inside of its wings, is currently believed by wildlife experts to have been dyed as part of a ‘gender reveal’ announcement.
Rebecca Machin, from the RSPCA’s wildlife team, expressed her concerns to the BBC about the potential toxicity of dyes and paints to birds, fearing that social media trends were promoting such behaviour.
“Dye and paints can be toxic to birds and other animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their coat or feathers which could result in them swallowing it,” she warned.
“We suspect this pigeon’s feathers have been painted – something we seem to be hearing about more and more, including – anecdotally – at events like gender reveal parties.”
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