A BRIT has been left “mesmerised” after spotting a bizarre pink-coloured pigeon strutting around her town centre.
Vikki Waters was out shopping with her daughter in Bury, Lancashire on Wednesday when they spotted an otherwise unimpressive group of pigeons scavenging for leftovers.
The 42-year-old couldn’t believe her eyes though when, amid the flock, they spotted the brightly coloured bird, and whipped her phone out to film it.
Video begins with Vikki standing a short distance away from the flock of pigeons as she zooms into the peculiarly-coloured specimen in particular.
The bird’s head and tail feathers are a vivid pink, whilst the rest of its body and feathers are a lighter hue, dappled with spots of grey and brown.
The song So What by American popstar Pink plays in the background as the bird pecks around for food on the ground.
Several other normal grey pigeons amble around the bird, seemingly totally unbothered by its unique colouring.
Vikki posted the clip to social media on Wednesday with the caption: “What have I just seen?”
The video has since received a whopping 2.4 million likes and more than 40,000 comments from users left amazed by the incredible animal.
One user wrote: “Nesoenas mayeri, very rare. it nearly became extinct in the 70s and 90s but it is a real pigeon and it is not dyed.”
Vikki responded saying: “Wow, no way. It didn’t look dyed, really interesting.”
Another commented: “The pink pigeon does exist but they are an endangered species.”
A third user wrote: “Google this, I think this is a painted pigeon – for weddings and baby showers.”
Another joked: “Catch it before it escapes, it’s a shiny pigeon.”
A fifth quipped: “It’s a Barbie pigeon.”
Speaking today Vikki said: “I just saw the bird and thought how amazing. I love things pink, shiny or anything different that stands out.
“We watched the bird for ages. I’ve never seen anything like it before, I didn’t even know a pink bird existed.
“I’m not sure if it was the real deal or as some people suggested, dyed. When I spotted it I was just mesmerised and took a video.”
The pink pigeon, also referred to as nesoenas mayeri are very rarely spotted in the UK, after nearing extinction in the 1990s.
Back in 1991 it was estimated that there were only around ten specimens left, a number that has increased since due to the efforts of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
According to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust: “After declining to just 12 individuals in the 1970s, Durrell’s long-term work with the pink pigeon has resulted in an astonishing comeback for the species, which has now been down-listed from endangered to vulnerable.
“This change comes with the latest assessments, carried out by BirdLife International for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, revealing that after 30 years of intense conservation work, pink pigeon populations are now stabilising at around 400 individuals.
