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Pink Pigeon
Paignton Zoo is home to 6 pink pigeons, and has a long-standing conservation connection with this species.
The pink pigeon is part of a European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), designed to maintain healthy captive populations and safeguard genetic diversity. Paignton Zoo plays an active role in this programme and works closely with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF), the leading conservation organisation protecting Mauritius’ endemic wildlife.
Class:
Aves
Order:
Columbiformes
Family:
Columbidae
About the pink pigeon
The pink pigeon is endemic to Mauritius, where it inhabits fragments of native forest. Recognisable by its soft pinkish-grey plumage, red bill, and red eye ring, this medium-sized island pigeon feeds primarily on fruit and seeds. As a forest frugivore, it plays an important ecological role in seed dispersal within Mauritius’ remaining native habitats.
Once one of the rarest birds in the world, pink pigeon numbers fell to an estimated nine individuals in the wild in 1991. Intensive conservation management has since helped stabilise and grow the population, making the species a globally recognised example of collaborative recovery work between field conservationists and zoological institutions.
Conservation
The species is classified as Vulnerable, with habitat loss, invasive predators, and disease continuing to pose threats in Mauritius. Ongoing collaboration between conservation organisations and zoos remains essential to securing its future.
Paignton Zoo's bird keeper Tom Tooley, who has worked here for more than 27 years, developed an innovative hand-rearing technique that has been shared directly with conservation partners in Mauritius, supporting in-country recovery efforts and increasing survival rates of vulnerable chicks. Tom's involvement demonstrates how expertise developed within accredited zoos contributes directly to species survival in the wild.