Pink Pigeon - Meet The Endangered
Pink Pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri)
In the 1990s, the Pink Pigeon was on the verge of extinction, with fewer than ten individuals left in the wild. Since then, this comely Mauritian bird has staged a remarkable comeback, evading the fate of its famously bygone cousin - the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus).
The Pink Pigeon is native to the old-growth forests of Mauritius, a remote volcanic island in the Indian Ocean. Only 2% of the island’s original forest cover remains, and this habitat destruction - melded with the bane of introduced predators - begot the pigeon’s decimation.
Aggressive intervention saved the species. Captive Pink Pigeons from global zoos were flown to Mauritius to interbreed with native birds, diversifying the gene pool. There are now around 500 individuals in the wild, and its classification has been upgraded to Vulnerable.
IUCN: Vulnerable (VU)
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