'Rare' Golden Bird Turns Out to Be a Seagull Covered in Curry

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In a world where everything is serious all the time it’s important to take a break now and then to laugh at things that are truly ridiculous. And that’s where this “curry seagull” comes in.

Last week, the wonderful folks at Tiggywinkles Animal Hospital (real name) in the United Kingdom posted an image of a stunning golden bird to their Facebook page. According to the group, the bird was spotted and found on the side of the road as it couldn’t fly away. Though upon first sight the bird appeared to be a rare species, or perhaps an entirely new one altogether. But nope, it wasn’t. Instead, it was a common seagull who somehow found itself covered in yellow curry.

"This is one of the strangest casualty circumstances we have seen in a while,” the organization exclaimed in a Facebook post.

“This bright-orange herring gull was rescued by kind members of the public who spotted him at the side of the A41,” the organization explained. “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!”

According to the post, the bird got into curry or turmeric, which completely saturated his feathers and prevented him from flying properly.

“We have no idea how he got into this predicament but thankfully, apart from the vibrant color and pungent smell, he was healthy,” the team said.

The veterinarians, it noted, “bravely” bathed the bird and gave him the name “Vinny” after the vindaloo curry he was likely covered in. They then dried him off and are looking after him before planning to release him back into the wild in the coming days.

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“Huge thanks to the lovely finders who stopped to rescue him,” it added. Hopefully, Vinny makes better food choices for himself in the future. At the very least, he should start carrying a napkin.

Thousands of Spiders Covered This Greek Town in Spooky Webs Just in Time for Halloween

Aitoliko, in western Greece, is sometimes called “Little Venice” for its series of canals. But that’s no longer what the town is famous for.

Last week, video emerged showing a 1,000 foot field in the town covered in thousands of spider webs. A layer of trees and other coastal greenery is trapped underneath a finely-woven blanket of spider webs.

But the scene is more spooky than scary. It’s a fairly regular phenomenon that can happen once every few years, based on meteorological events.

Maria Chatzaki, professor of molecular biology and genetics at Democritus University of Thrace, told Newsit.gr that the spiders are just taking advantage of high temperatures and humidity during their mating season.

“These spiders are not dangerous for humans and will not cause any damage to the area's flora,” Chatzaki said. “The spiders will have their party and will soon die.”

The spiders building the webs are likely of the Tetragnatha genus, sometimes called “stretch spiders” for their oblong bodies. Not only do they build elaborate webs, they’re capable of running across water.

The spiders are also likely doing humans an immense favor. They prey on mosquitoes that congregate around the water. And are helping the town get a head start on Halloween decorations.