British rescuers discover surprising truth about 'exotic' orange bird

A team of animal rescuers in Buckinghamshire, U.K., were surprised to find out that an "exotic" bird rescued off the side of a British highway was just a seagull covered in curry.

Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital, a teaching veterinary hospital which rehabilitates injured animals with the goal of releasing them back into the wild, took to its Facebook page last week to share photos of a colorful bird, which was brought into the facility by motorists.

"This bright-orange herring gull was rescued by kind members of the public who spotted him at the side of the A41," the hospital wrote. "When they called to say they had picked up an orange bird, we had no idea what to expect – and would never have guessed at this!"

Apparently, the bird had somehow gotten himself covered in "curry or turmeric," which damaged his feathers, "preventing him from flying properly."

However, after a bath from Tiggywinkles's brave team, the pungent seagull, nicknamed Vinny after a Vindaloo curry, was left looking spotless.

"He is now looking much better and should be able to go for release very soon!" the hospital wrote. "As we say, we never know what will come through our doors next!"

Strangely enough, Vinny is not the first reported case of his kind.

In 2016, workers at the Vale Wildlife Hospital in Gloucestershire, U.K., rescued a seagull that turned bright orange after falling into a tub of chicken tikka masala.

It is believed the hungry bird was scavenging in some bins outside a food factory, attempting to pick out bits of meat from a pot, when he lost his footing and plunged into leftover sauce.