Why Are Pigeon’s Eyes Red?

Pigeons are seen all around cities, flying in frocks and fighting with each other for a scrap of food. You might think you have all the features of the pigeons known, and then you stare at their eyes.

Right away, the question appears, why are pigeons’ eyes red? The answer lies in their genetics. Pigeons are naturally red-eyed birds, they are said to have ‘Pink-Eyed Syndrome’, which occurs due to a genetic mutation that causes their iris to be red. Scientists think it is because red eyes are viewed as more attractive by female pigeons.

Several other factors cause their eyes to be red. Let’s delve further and find out why pigeons have red eyes.

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What Does It Mean When a Pigeon Has Red Eyes?

Pigeons having red eyes can generally mean quite a few things, but most commonly, they have red eyes through their genetics.
Let’s see what else might cause their eyes to be red;

01. Pigeons Are Naturally Red-Eyed

Natural red eyes are quite common among birds and animals. These birds are known to have ‘Pink-eyed Syndrome’, which occurs due to a genetic mutation in their eye color, causing their iris to be red instead of any other colors such as white or dark brown. Red color is more dominant than other colors making the majority of pigeons to have red eyes.

What Does It Mean When a Pigeon Has Red Eyes

The genetics make the surroundings of their iris pink because of the low concentration of blood vessels around the iris. Pigeons with different amounts of blood vessels around the iris will affect how pink or red they look.

Some species of pigeons that are known to have naturally red eyes are Wood ducks, Gulls, and Killdeers.

02. The Blood Vessels Make Their Eyes Look Red

One of the causes of red eyes in pigeons might be the blood vessels in their eyes. Pigeons have large eyes that contain many blood vessels that can be from the color gray to purple, red, and pink.

When the pigeon is excited or agitated, its eyes might dilate and cause its eyes to look red.

03. Underlying Illness Might Cause Their Eyes to Look Red

Pigeons worldwide are susceptible to get a disease called ‘Pink eye’, which is caused by bacteria that can be transmitted to the bird through food or water.

The bacteria cause inflammation and irritation to the eye. This can lead to infection and cause the blood vessels to red, making the iris look even redder.

04. Allergies Might Also Affect Pigeons to Have Red Eyes

There are several types of allergies pigeons can have, which can cause inflammation and discharge that are visible in their eyes.

The redness can also be due to discoloration of the blood cells due to their diet and cause the blood vessels to be red.

05. Some Pigeons Might Have Went Through Physical Injuries

If a pigeon has been through some physical injury to its eye, it might cause them to have red eyes.

An injury to the head can cause swelling, bruising, and bleeding around the eye. Additionally, the blood vessels may become more noticeable.

If you notice a pigeon with injuries on its head, try to take them immediately to the veterinary for treatment.

06. Pigeons Can Go Through Problems Such As Air Pollution As Well

Air pollution is harmful to birds in the same way it is harmful to humans. It can cause them to have respiratory conditions and even discolor their feathers.

Scientists have found out that air pollution has caused bird’s eyes to turn red, especially the ones living in urban areas where they are more exposed to airborne pollutants.

07. They Can Also Be Albino

Albino pigeons are very rare, but they are believed to have red eyes as albinism suppresses their production of melanin pigment.

It causes their eyes to be red and very light in color. They are usually very rare and often found in specific areas.

08. Old Age Can Cause Their Eyes to Be Redder

As pigeons age, they can develop symptoms that can cause red eyes. Aging also increases the size of the blood vessels in the eyes, resulting in a change in eye color.

Older birds can have more prominent puffed-up eyes that are very visible. This is a completely natural process of aging in birds.

What Color Eyes Do Pigeons Have?

Pigeons mainly have three iris colors, they are Reddish-Orange, Pearl white, and dark brown.

Orange-colored eyes vary from yellow to red depending on the number of blood vessels in the pigeon’s eye.

The pearl iris color is white in color with small signs of pink and red from the blood vessels. It is said that the eye color is controlled by a dominant orange color and a recessive white color, causing the majority of pigeons to have reddish-orange-colored eyes.

The dark brown color is less known and found rarely in pigeons. They are less well-known than the other two colors.

Do Male Pigeons Have Red Eyes?

According to researchers, the gender of a pigeon or bird has nothing to do with the color of its eye.

Both Male and female pigeons can have red eyes as it all depends on the blood vessels in their eye, including several other factors that cause their eyes to be red.

Red-Orange eyed pigeons are often just due to their genetics, and gender plays no role in their eye color.

Final Words

Knowing about why a pigeon has red eyes will allow you to understand right away whether it is natural or caused due to an injury that could save the bird’s life.

Most of the time, it is a natural phenomenon because of the blood vessels in their eyes, other times, it could be due to other reasons.

That will be all for this topic. Hopefully, you have the answers you were looking for regarding the pigeons’ eye, you can find more on pigeons on our website.

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Article References:

https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/38/12/5376/6359824

Image Credit:

Canva.com