The Wild Bird Fund had been treating the domestic king pigeon, which it said appeared to be "barely more than a fledgling" when it was discovered in the Manhattan park and showed signs of malnutrition. The group said domesticated birds already have trouble surviving because they can't find food in the wild, fly well or escape predators.
(On an unrelated note, that's part of the concern around the Central Park Zoo owl right now.)
As for the Madison Square Park pigeon, the Wild Bird Fund tweeted Tuesday, "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."
"Pigeons come in many different colors and plumage, but pink isn't one of them," the group said in a Facebook post shortly after it was found.
It was not immediately clear why the bird was dyed.
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