A picture of a pigeons’ nest made entirely from used syringes has been shared by police in the Canadian city of Vancouver to highlight its drug crisis.

Shared on social media by Superintendent Michelle Davey, she said it had been found in a single room occupancy in the Downtown Eastside area of the city.

She described the image as reflecting the “sad reality of the opioid crisis" in the city, alongside the hashtags "#fentanyl #frontline".

She also added “#notstaged” - a claim disputed by some social media users who have said it is a hoax.

Luc-Alain Giraldeau, a scientist at l’Univérsité du Québec à Montréal, told the National Post newspaper that he was certain the image did not show a real pigeons' nest.

He said it contained too many eggs as pigeons usually only lay two at a time. He added that it lacks the thick coat of pigeon feces that the birds typically use to keep their eggs warm. Pigeon nests are “always constructed on a flat surface,” he said.

He added: “This cannot be a pigeon nest."

Marion Chatelain, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Warsaw specialising in the urbanisation of wildlife, agreed.

“To the best of my knowledge, feral pigeons do not use human wastes to build their nest,” she wrote in an email to the National Post — adding that it is very peculiar to see more than two eggs in a nest.

Nathaniel Wheelwright, a veteran bird biologist at Maine’s Bowdoin College, told the newspaper: “My first reaction was that it looks faked.”

However he added: “But then pigeons do build flimsy platform nests of thick twigs, and house wrens sometimes nest in bags of nails. So, it could be.”

Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Show all 17 1 /17 Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa A man shows a pigeon to his friends as they look for a pigeon to buy from a shop in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa A pigeon, known as Kara Alaca Kirk Telli, with an approximate market value of 500 Turkish Lira ($132), bred by 23-year-old Ismail Ozbek, is pictured in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Ismail Ozbek, 23, poses for a photograph with one of his pigeons in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Auctioneer Kadir Sakizci (L), 28, conducts a sale at a pigeon auction in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa A poster announcing the "National Most Beautiful Pigeon Contest" hangs on a wall in a tea house where pigeon auctions take place in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa A pigeon, known as Sari Aynali, with an approximate market value of 500 Turkish Lira ($132), bred by 23-year-old Ismail Ozbek, is pictured in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Auctioneer Imam Dildas, 40, conducts a sale at a pigeon auction in Sanliurfa, Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa A man holds a pigeon during a pigeon auction in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa A pigeon, known as Siyah Kinifirli, with an approximate market value of 1000 Turkish Lira ($263), bred by 23-year-old Ismail Ozbek, is pictured in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Pigeons are seen in a cage before the start of a pigeon auction in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Vitamins and antibiotics for pigeons are seen on a stand for sale in a tea house where pigeon auctions take place in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Pigeons are seen in a coop in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Pigeons fly in the sky in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa A pigeon, known as Sari Alaca, with an approximate market value of 2500 Turkish Lira ($659), bred by 23-year-old Ismail Ozbek, is pictured in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Pigeons for sale are seen in a box during a pigeon auction in Sanliurfa Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa Pigeons roost on a wall on top of a building in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters Pigeon breeding in Sanliurfa A pigeon, known as Ispir, with an approximate market value of 1500 Turkish Lira ($395), bred by 23-year-old Ismail Ozbek, is pictured in Sanliurfa, Turkey Reuters

Regardless of the authenticity of the image, it has served to draw international attention to the city's problem with prescription opiod abuse.

In December nine people died from fentanyl overdoses across the city in one 24 hour period.

Asked for comment by The Independent, Vancouver Police spokesperson Randy Fincham said: "The photo is authentic, as it was taken by a VPD officer. There are lots of possibilities leading to the creation of the nest, before the police arrived, but I’m not an ornithologist. The pigeons flew out the window when officers entered the vacant room."

He added: "The plethora of bird experts who have now “chirped” in on the topic are more than welcome to do so."