Orange Bird Mystery Solved: It Was Curry! -

If you saw a bright orange bird waddling along the side of the road, your first thought might be: Is this a rare tropical species? Or maybe a phoenix on vacation? 😲

But for one group of animal rescuers in the UK, the truth was far stranger… and spicier.

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A Fiery Find on the Freeway

Passersby in Buckinghamshire, England, recently spotted a mysterious orange bird struggling near a busy highway. Concerned for what looked like an exotic animal in distress, they quickly called in help.

When wildlife rescuers from Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital arrived, they were baffled. The bird looked like it belonged in the tropics, not the British countryside.

“This is one of the strangest casualty circumstances we have seen in a while!”
Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital via Facebook

And they weren’t kidding.

Not Exotic Just Extra Spicy 🌶️

As it turns out, the mystery bird was not a tropical parrot, but a seagull. His dazzling orange feathers? Not natural at all.

The poor gull had somehow fallen into curry or turmeric, coating his entire body in a fragrant, yellow-orange layer of spice. He couldn’t fly, and he smelled like your favorite Indian takeaway.

The team nicknamed him Vinny, after the popular dish Vindaloo, and gently began the process of scrubbing him clean.

It wasn’t easy.

Vinny “put up a bit of a fight and covered the veterinary team in curry water,” they said.

From Curry Gull to Clean and Free 🕊️

After a deep clean and a little TLC, Vinny’s true colors were restored his feathers returned to their natural white. He’s now recovering well and expected to be released back into the wild soon. Just hopefully not into another spice bucket.

And here’s the kicker…

Not the First Seagull to Fall for Curry

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first curry-covered gull to make headlines. Back in 2016, a hungry seagull took a dive into a vat of chicken tikka masala in Gloucestershire while trying to snag a bite. That bird was rescued, cleaned, and thankfully had no digestive issues from his spicy adventure.

“Hopefully he’ll stick to a much more bland diet in the future!” said nurse Lucy Kells at the time.

So, What Have We Learned?

Seagulls have no shame when it comes to food.
Curry and feathers don’t mix.
Wildlife workers deserve medals (and probably showers) for what they deal with daily.

Let’s hear it for Vinny the gull who went from curry catastrophe to clean and classy. 🍛✨