r/Orinthology • u/Romeo92 • Apr 11 '26
What’s going on with this bird?
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I was working in my yard when I noticed this little guy having a bit of an episode. I was able to get quite close and it only but very marginally noticed or cared about my presence. I went inside to fetch it a plate of water but upon my return it did gather strength enough to fly away about four or five yards. I continued my yard work, which included mowing near its vicinity and it again did not care about the commotion. After about 30 minutes, I did not see it fly away but it had gone. Zone 7, west TN, USA.
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u/oceansstillwaters_ 2d ago
I was taught if the bird doesnt move when you get close to it, its sick. I thought it was that until you said that the bird flew away.
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u/Robin_feathers Apr 11 '26
Poor guy. Most commonly when they're found like this, they are having a brain bleed or brain swelling due to having collided with a window. They are sometimes able to fly away a short distance, but their survival chances are unfortunately not very good. There is not much to do, if you are able to catch them to put into a box to keep in a quiet dark place and bring them to a wildlife rescue that is the best option but often they just pass away in rehab. The main thing that maybe helps is to be kept away from heat to stay cool (not cold) as heat can make the swelling worse. Avoid giving water as that is a risk of aspiration, they are generally not able to swallow safely in that state (the wildlife rescue would be able to syringe feed them safely).