Flamingo the Pigeon: Bird suspected to have been dyed pink for gender reveal party dies

A pink pigeon that earned popularity in New York after being spotted around the city has died, a local charity has said.

The pigeon, named Flamingo, had become a local celebrity after it was rescued by the Wild Bird Fund charity.

He was handed to the charity a week ago, who shared his story on their social media.

Locals, who speculated the bird was dyed pink for a gender reveal party, were angered by Flamingo's sorry state and began searching for the people responsible

So far no one has been identified.

The charity announced Flamingo's death via Twitter on Tuesday.

It said: “We are deeply sad to report that Flamingo, our sweet pink pigeon, has passed away.”“Despite our best efforts to reduce the fumes coming off the dye, while keeping him calm and stable, he died in the night. We believe his death was caused by inhaling the toxins.”

The Wild Bird Fund said they believed he was around one year old and malnourished.

In a series of Instagram posts, the charity said the dye had prevented him from finding food or eating when morsels were offered to him.

It said the colouring - which they believed was hair dye - gave off a strong odour and despite their best efforts, they couldn't get it off him.

On Instagram, the charity said: "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."Domestic birds — birds raised in captivity — should never be released to the wild. They will die of starvation or predation."The Wild Bird Fund supports sick, injured and orphaned wildlife and releases them back to the wilds of New York City.

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