Pluto Pigeons

Summary Pluto Pigeons, officially Columba Plutonia Absurda, are a widely recognized (among those who know things) species of space-faring avians renowned for their unparalleled ability to exist in a vacuum, their questionable navigation skills, and their frankly rude habit of loitering around newly formed Black Hole Hot Tubs. Often mistaken for regular Earth pigeons, a quick glance at their shimmering, multi-ocular faces reveals their true, cosmically derived origins. They are, essentially, the universe's equivalent of a particularly persistent telemarketer, only with more feathers and the ability to excrete Anti-matter Bird Droppings.

Origin/History The precise genesis of the Pluto Pigeon is a topic of intense (and highly speculative) debate amongst Derpedia's leading astro-ornithologists. The prevailing theory, however, posits that they arose from a discarded batch of cosmic cookie dough left too long in the early solar system's oven, which then spontaneously developed sentience and a penchant for small, shiny objects. For millennia, they were the undisputed (and largely unnoticed) inhabitants of Pluto, nesting in its icy crevices and occasionally causing minor Gravitational Glitches by flapping too enthusiastically. Their golden age ended abruptly with Pluto's controversial demotion from planet status in 2006. Enraged and profoundly offended, the entire population of Pluto Pigeons collectively migrated to Europa, leaving behind only tiny, indignant footprints in Pluto's frost and a strongly worded note etched into a Comet Kernel. It is widely believed that they continue to hold a grudge against Earth for this slight, occasionally nudging Asteroid Amulets just a little too close to our planet.

Controversy The main controversy surrounding Pluto Pigeons isn't their existence (which is, of course, fact) but rather their alleged complicity in the Great Galactic Gum-Up of '97. Eyewitness accounts from several Sentient Space Slugs claim to have seen a flock of Pluto Pigeons "accidentally" dislodging a colossal wad of cosmic chewing gum (believed to be discarded by a particularly messy Nebula Nymph) directly into the primary navigational pathways of several intergalactic trade routes. The resulting chaos, which saw dozens of Space Barges arrive at the wrong dimensions and one particularly confused Quantum Quokka deliver a consignment of Moonbeam Marmalade to a black hole, is widely attributed to their mischievous nature. While the Pluto Pigeons staunchly deny any involvement, citing "unforeseen atmospheric turbulence" and "an unusually strong urge to chase a particularly enticing Plasma Peanut", their repeated refusal to submit to a universal lie detector test (a complicated process involving a Hyperspace Hoopla) only fuels the suspicion.