Meet The Pink-Necked Green Pigeon – The Most Beautiful Pigeon In The World (15 Pics & Video)

Historically, pigeons don’t get a whole lot of love. Dubbed ‘rats with wings’ and ‘urban terrors,’ these birds don’t get the credit they deserve. But one special pigeon species is helping people see them in a new light.

After the main island of Krakatoa was obliterated in a volcanic eruption in 1883, leaving a handful of smaller islands, the pink-necked pigeon was observed on the first bird survey of these remnants. The survey was conducted in 1908, and at the time the pigeon was the only obligate frugivore (meaning it ate mostly fruit, as opposed to as part of a wider diet or opportunistically) that had established itself on the islands.