‘Zombie’ pigeons walk with twisted necks after contracting illness

“Zombie” pigeons in Jersey have been suffering with twisted necks after contracting a mysterious disease.

Footage from 2020 shows a pigeon with symptoms of the illness, pigeon paramyxovirus (PPMV), with its head turned to one side.

According to Gov.uk, signs of infection are “trembling wings and heads, and twisting of the neck.”

Jersey has seen an increase in birds displaying such symptoms, JSPCA Animal’s Shelter said on 18 October.

“The disease is extremely infectious and spread through faeces and other secretions,” a spokesperson said.

“At the JSPCA, affected birds are humanely euthanased.”

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