LONDON –– We don't want to alarm anyone, but there may be a pink pigeon epidemic sweeping Britain.
The trend recently came to light after the Manchester Evening News shared the following image, apparently snapped outside a church in Stockport.
So, it looks like someone might be dyeing pigeons hot pink in Stockport. Really. http://t.co/CPGwQYHmjS pic.twitter.com/pZYMImw5y9— Manchester News MEN (@MENnewsdesk) July 26, 2015
"It did seem tired, so I thought it might have been in a race but I've never seen a pigeon dyed pink before," pigeon-snapper Wes Charnock told the Manchester Evening News. "I posted pictures online to see what people thought, and they have been suggesting it was used in a wedding or is a racing pigeon."
The mystery doesn't stop there, either. Since the Manchester Evening News posted the story on its Facebook page on Sunday, it's been shared almost 500 times -- and people from across the UK have been chipping in with their own colourful pigeon sightings.
Some even had video footage.
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));I think all the hot weather has turned one of the local pigeons bright red. All very odd!Posted by Paul Roberts K Klass on Wednesday, July 1, 2015
"Got a short video clip of a Pink/Red pigeon in Rusholme about 3 weeks back," wrote Paul Roberts K Klass in his Facebook comment.
Eventually people from further afield started sharing images, too.
"I took this a year ago in Bristol," wrote Lorraine Williams.
So where are all these pink pigeons coming from?
Well, people commenting on the Manchester Evening News' Facebook page had a variety of possible explanations.
Some were convinced it was a racing pigeon.
Others thought it might have been part of a wedding.
One person said he'd seen a pigeon coated in dye before (albeit blue ones).
In the past five weeks people have been snapping photos of pink pigeons in towns and villages across the UK, posting sightings to Twitter.
Pink pigeon in blyth pic.twitter.com/Dcj6Fpp6Cx— Debbie (@debbie5791) July 20, 2015
A pink pigeon? pic.twitter.com/yjyt7SSsRa— tegan crabbe (@tegansucks) July 15, 2015
Another pink pigeon, what is going on? Who is dyeing The pigeons in Friar street? pic.twitter.com/0NTgMYGpKu— alli flawith (@mochamoo) July 8, 2015
#pinkpigeon spotted at Skelmanthorpe pic.twitter.com/8Yk8O5qXml— Suzie Huntington (@spottyladybird) July 5, 2015
Have u seen this #PinkPigeon pic.twitter.com/Kw7rUsaKJ1— Ashleigh-Rae (@AshleighRae2) June 22, 2015
@Ascot @RoyalAscot #pink_pigeon #ascot2015 pic.twitter.com/qRnBdHo2rU— Jakhongir Norov (@JNorov) June 19, 2015
A radio interview reveals another possible explanation for an earlier sighting: magicians dying doves pink as part of their shows.
Did you ever hear about the pink pigeon at Bletchley Park? Find out why it was a serious shade of fuchsia: http://t.co/wKNVWEVDmx— audioBoom (@audioBoom) July 5, 2015
(To be fair though, the "pink pigeon at Bletchley Park" – spotted back in 2014 – definitely does look more like a dove than a pigeon).
It's a Pink Pigeon?!! Spotted in Bletchley. pic.twitter.com/Twi1xEtIVJ— Stuart Miles (@Stuart_Miles) May 6, 2014
It seems like there are a few different possibilities as to why all these pigeons are being turned pink: some may have been used in shows or ceremonies, some might be marked out as racing pigeons and others might even have been dyed as a prank or through accidental exposure to man-made dyes.
UPDATED, 28 JULY 12:10: We received a response from David Noble, an ecologist and member of the British Trust for Ornithology, who gave us his thoughts on some possible causes.
"I have no idea really but apparently you can pay to have doves released at weddings or other events, and someone here also heard of a company offering something like a 'colourful display of pigeons'," said Noble. "I found a link to one in Australia and there is likely to be something similar in the UK. So we suspect that might be the source."
Mashable has also reached out to the National Pigeon Association for their thoughts on this issue, and we will update if we receive a response.