Nesoenas Mayeri: pink pigeon believed to be one of world’s rarest birds spotted in Lancashire town
One of the world's rarest birds could have been spotted in a garden in a town in Lancashire
Kelly Lunney couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a pink pigeon fluttering around her street.
The pink pigeon that caught her eye is known as a Nesoenas Mayeri, a species of pigeon endemic to Mauritius, and there are just 500 left in the world.
Kelly was able to take a few photos and video footage of the eye catching bird as it keeps returning to the same place.
She said: "I definitely think it is one of the rare ones as it has white markings under its wings and its feet are a different colour than average pigeons.
"It's really pretty and almost neon pink on the top of its body but a darker shade underneath."
Last year a man in Staffordshire claimed to have seen a pink pigeon but bird experts said it was a grey pigeon that had been dyed pink.
The pink pigeon almost became extinct in the 1990s and is still very rare. In 1991 there were only thought to be 10 left, but its numbers have increased due to the efforts of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
A version of this article was originally published on our sister title, the Lancashire Post