Is this a ‘gender reveal pigeon’? Mystery blue bird baffles local residents
The blue bird is believed to have been been artificially dyed (Kerry Pickett/Facebook)
People in Maidenhead, UK have been left utterly confused after seeing a dyed-blue pigeon wandering the streets lately, with some speculating that it might be the aftermath of some kind of gender-reveal stunt.
The bird was first spotted in the Berkshire town last week (6 September), and baffled locals have been taking photos of it and sharing them on social media. The question on everyone’s lips – who did this, and why?
Wildlife experts told the BBC that the pigeon might have been dyed for a gender-reveal party, where parents-to-be make a hoopla about announcing to the world what genitals their as-yet-unborn baby is going to have.
Many people, including celebrities like Demi Lovato, have slammed gender-reveals as transphobic, with the singer claiming that they “fuel the mistreatment of all people.”
“Only individual people can self determine their gender,” she added.
Lovato, who came out as non-binary in 2021, also shared a graphic on Instagram that read: “Gender reveals are based on the illusion that genitals = gender and that there are only two options: ‘Boy or girl.’
“This definition erases the fact that there are boys with vaginas and girls with penises and that there are people who are neither boys nor girls.”
Anyway: back to the gender-reveal pigeon.
One of the people who photographed the unfortunate bird was Kerry Pickett, who saw the bird in her garden in Radcot Close. “My dad used to race pigeons with my grandad and my uncle, so I’ve seen a few pigeons over the years and I’ve never seen one that colour,” she said.
Rebecca Machin, from the RSPCA’s wildlife team, told the BBC that dye and paints can be very damaging to birds. “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 said.
“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,” she continued.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. In February 2023, a pigeon was found in New York dyed pink as part of a gender reveal party. The culprits were not found.
Gender-reveal party catastrophies – including plane crashes and wildfires
The only fatality likely to come of this latest gender-reveal stunt is, possibly, the pigeon – if the RSPCA are right and the dye is toxic.
However, other gender-reveal parties have claimed the lives of humans, as well as causing damage to the environment.
In 2021, a couple were charged with involuntary manslaughter after their gender reveal party saw a huge wildfire break out at the El Dorado Ranch Park in southern California. The fire was caused after a smoke bomb set the grass ablaze.
A firefighter named Charlie Morton was killed while fighting the inferno and 13 other people were injured.
That same year, a gender reveal party held in Canada resulted in a family being fined $600 after a pyrotechnic at the party sparked a sprawling wildfire in Alberta.
Another gender reveal party involving a stunt plane led to a crash and the death of the pilot flying the plane.
In 2022, a couple in Brazil added to a growing list of ridiculous and potentially dangerous gender reveals after they dyed a 60-foot-tall waterfall blue. Following the incident they were investigated for potential environmental damage.
In fact, the gender reveal has now gotten so out of hand that even their inventor said she regrets creating a “monster”. Jenna Karvunidis, a parenting blogger, previously told The Guardian that she never meant to start a trend and now thinks that the idea of a gender reveal party is “not great at all”.
The child that Karvunidis held the party for, in 2008, has since been revealed to be gender-non-conforming.
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