VISITORS to a city park were left scratching their heads when they spotted swans in a city park had turned pink.

Ruth Campbell, a members of Friends of Victoria Park, spotted pink on some of the feathers of the birds when she was walking through the visitor attraction.

At first she feared they had been fighting but as time went on, he colour change became more marked.

Ms Campbell decided to find out what was happening and discovered the birds were suffering from pink feather syndrome.

The pink is due to bacteria which is caused by people feeding the birds mouldy bread and in particular white bread which swans find difficult to digest.

The condition affects the birds' immune system and waterproofing meaning they cannot swim or feed as normal and can die of hunger or hypothermia.

Ms Campbell phoned the rangers at Pollok Park who said a similar problem had occurred with the swans at Hogganfield Loch where it was treated by washing the birds in Fairy Liquid.

She was told the worst affected birds in Victoria Park will be taken to Hessilhead Wildlife Santuary in Ayrshire where they will have a bath and be built up before being released back into the wild.

Ms Campbell is now using the Friends of Victoria Park page on Facebook to urge people not to feed the birds white bread.

Glasgow City Council countryside ranger, Jackie Clark, said: “It’s highly unlikely people are intentionally feeding the swans mouldy bread however it is important for the public and visitors to our parks to be aware of the potential dangers of overfeeding.

“We work very closely with the friends of groups and in regular contact with staff at Hessilhead so we know the signs and what to look out for.

"The mould on white bread is really the main thing to look out for if you are feeding the swans. Brown bread and defrosted peas are good sources of food for swans and pose far less risk to their health than white bread.

"Swans continually preen themselves which keeps the feathers in shape and waterproofed.

"However, the fungus on the bread finds its way onto the swan's body by the beak passing the fungus onto the feathers.

"The environment the swan lives in appears to allow the fungus to thrive causing the pink colour on their body, brittle feathers and reducing the waterproof coating, allowing the feathers to get waterlogged causing hypothermia, loss of weight and sometimes death."