You’ve probably seen pigeons in every shade of gray, white, and maybe even a little iridescent purple. But lime green? That’s a new one — and it’s got everyone doing a double take.
Residents in one town have been flocking (pun intended) to catch a glimpse of a very unusual bird: a bright green pigeon strutting around the streets like it owns the place.
And while some think it’s funny, animal experts are raising serious concerns.
The neon-colored bird first caught attention when people started sharing photos and TikToks of it wandering near a church in the town of Northampton, U.K.
It’s since become a bit of a local legend.
One local, Robin Hinkmott, even went pigeon-spotting while playing Pokémon Go with his partner.
”Me and my partner were playing Pokémon Go that weekend, so wandered that way to see if we could spot the shiny pigeon,” Robin said.
Robin’s guess? Someone dyed the bird as a prank or for an event.
”If I had to guess it was someone having a laugh, or dyed for a wedding or some sort of event,” he added. ”It doesn’t seem to be negatively impacted by it or treated differently. I suppose there’s a risk that it might be more visible to predators.”
Another resident, 33-year-old Alex Zambon, said the green pigeon has become a regular lunchtime sighting.
”I often have my lunch around there and there’s always people filming it,” he said.
”One guy said he’d come up from London and I’ve heard many travel long distances to see it, which is a bit bonkers… So to have a pigeon as a tourist attraction is quite funny really.”
People have floated wild theories online — from the pigeon being radioactive to it being the “Incredible Hulk” of the bird world. But birding experts say it’s more likely that the bird was dyed, possibly intentionally.
Mike Alibone, optics editor at Birdwatch Magazine, believes the bird was originally white.
”The reason for this is not clear, but the bird has certainly escaped and joined the resident feral pigeon flock,” he said.
”Some racing pigeon owners are known to dye their birds, but it is not a particularly common practice… Some pigeons can be dyed pink or blue for a gender-reveal party… Green may be a less common colour, but this might also be linked to some form of ‘columbicultura’… It’s regarded as a sport—so it might be something connected with pigeon racing.”
While Alibone says the color ”should not affect flying ability” and that the bird appears to be ”in fine fettle”, animal welfare experts aren’t laughing.
The RSPCA has issued repeated warnings about dyeing birds for fun or social media stunts.
“We suspect this pigeon’s feathers have been painted – something we seem to be hearing about more and more,” said an RSPCA spokesperson.
”Intentionally painting a pigeon’s feathers can be dangerous for the animal. It can cause health problems, impair their ability to fly and make them more vulnerable to predators.”
Even worse, birds might accidentally swallow the paint or dye while grooming, which can be toxic.
”Until its next moult, this pigeon will likely be more at risk in the wild,” the RSPCA added.
”Sadly, from time to time we do hear anecdotally about incidents involving animals being affected in this way – and sadly we fear social media trends could be fuelling this.”
So while the lime-green bird might look like something out of a cartoon, experts are urging people to think twice before turning animals into viral spectacles.
After all, pigeons deserve better than being used as props — no matter how “Instagrammable” they are.
