Pink Pigeon at Blank Park Zoo

The Mauritius pigeon is pink, and is one of the rarest birds in the world. The endangered species numbers fewer than 50 in captivity and had fallen to less than half that in the 1970s. Now, a female Mauritius pink pigeon is at the Blank Park Zoo, awaiting a mate. Though zookeepers don't know where that mate will come from.

The bird is the rarest in the Des Moines zoo and came from San Antonio, where it hatched exactly one year ago. Thanks to the work of volunteers, there are nearly 400 pink pigeons living in the wild now. The Iowa zoo recently opened a glassed center for avians and has had much success breeding birds.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009