Las Vegas pigeon who had cowboy hat glued to her head dies

Local celebrity and former cowboy hat-wearing pigeon Billie the Pidge has died, a local pigeon rescue group says.

Billie was one of several local pigeons that drew attention online after someone glued tiny cowboy hats to their heads and let them loose. She and another pigeon, named Cluck Norris by rescuers, were captured and relieved of their hats in December.

“She was weak when we caught her and had lost toes to ‘stringfoot’ in addition to the hat being glued onto her head,” Lofty Hopes, the pigeon rescue group that tracked down both birds, said Sunday on Twitter.

We are saddened to announce that Billie the Pidge has passed away. She was weak when we caught her and had lost toes to stringfoot in addition to the hat being glued onto her head. pic.twitter.com/FR3vXGlMe1

— Lofty Hopes Pigeon Rescue (@Loftyhopespidge) January 13, 2020

Lofty Hopes founder Mariah Hillman said “stringfoot” is a condition where string becomes wrapped around a bird’s ankle, causing the foot to lose circulation.

Hillman and her volunteers are still trying to catch a third hat-wearing pigeon, dubbed Coolamity Jane, who was spotted within the last week with her hat still attached.

Billie is survived by Cluck Norris, Coolamity Jane and all her friends, feathered and otherwise, at Lofty Hopes.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.