File :-(, x, )
Injured Bird Anonymous
Oh jeez, /an/, I need some fucking help. Seriously, please no trolls, etc.

So I come home today to find that a bird in my backyard, trapped in under a small laundry basket. Fucking turns out that my aunt was on a walk, and saw the bird struggling on the street, injured. It couldn't stand on one foot, and kept trying to fly away, but wasn't able to get farther than a few flaps.

So she caught it (by taking off her T-shirt and using it as a net) and brought it home; there are a lot of cats around here at night.

When I got home, I brought it inside (still under the laundry basket) so that it wouldn't be an even easier meal for the cats, but beyond that I have no real fucking idea what to do, or even what kind of bird it is. Jesus fucking Christ I'm scared, cause this kind of stuff has happened before (bird flew into our window) and it didn't make it.

Worst part is that my family was looking to me for help (I like animals, want to be a vet), but the Veterinary Medical Diagnosis class I took dealt only with cats and dogs. Don't know shit about birds, medicine wise.

I know I saw some vets around here the other day, please guys, help me.

Pic is the bird, he's just sitting there - I'm almost sure he's still in shock. He's sticking his head out of the slats of the basket, but he's not stuck - that much I can tell. We put water and bread crumbs in there, but I don't think he (I'm defaulting to the male pronoun for no real reason) hasn't touched them.

If it helps, I live in NYC, and its some kind of bird common there, just not sure what (not a pidgeon).
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>> Anonymous
Read the threads that are posted here every week on the same subject.
>> Anonymous
>>310096
Thanks a lot, /an/on. :|
>> Anonymous
1. leave outside
2. dont give a shit
3. ohshi- nature
>> Anonymous
raise it back to health

also read on wikipedia or some shit
>> Anonymous
put it outside, leave it alone you fucking moron. the thing is going to die regardless of how much of a bleeding heart you and your retarded aunt are.
>> Anonymous
It looks similar to a Mourning Dove, but not sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning_Dove

You could call wildlife shelters, occassonally they take in stray birds but you'll probably just be on your own.

Good Luck Anon.
>> Anonymous
Take it to a vet, a shelter or an experienced bird breeder.
>> Anonymous
>>310118
Yeah, that's definitely it. Thanks, anon.

Apparently it eats almost exclusively seeds, so I'm checking to see if I have any in the house.
>> Anonymous
dude
mourning doves fake being injured when someone chases them out of their nest when they still have eggs or chicks in them.
Just leave it be.
>> Anonymous
I saw a red-tailed hawk swoop down on a juvenile morning dove once in pegged it in midair, there was an explosion of feathers, and we all screamed, and the hawk ran away (didn't really mean to scare it, it was like 5 feet from us). The little dude didn't even get one shot, was missing some wing feathers and sat there for an hour and then flew up into a tree. Wonder what happened to the little guy.

Hope yours makes it; best bet is to find a wildlife rehabilitation center.
>> OP
>>310139
Wiki >>>When flushed from the nest, an incubating parent may perform a nest-distraction display, or a broken-wing display, fluttering on the ground as if injured, then flying away when the predator approaches it.
>>> then flying away when the predator approaches it.
>>> then flying away
>>> flying

It couldn't fly.

>>310140
>>310119
Gonna look around for any shelters in the area, thanks for the advice
>> Anonymous
In the meantime, OP, you should drape a towel or a blanket over the cage-type thing you have. They need to be kept in a warm, dark, quiet place so they don't go into shock and die.

Good luck with contacting any shelters in the area. I had a similar situation with a Galah whose wing was bloodstained and couldn't fly. I called every wildlife organisation in the state. None of them would even return my calls, let alone help the bird. I ended up keeping the bird for a couple of weeks in a large outdoor cage and feeding it parrot mix. Its wing healed on its own and I released it :)

Just don't hand over the bird to the wildlife people if they're going to euthanase it. They would have euthanased that Galah if they'd bothered returning my calls, and he ended up being able to fly away.
>> Anonymous
>>310151
We turned off all the lights on the floor where he's in.

I was hoping to put him in an old birdcage I had (back when I had parakeets, years ago) but I cannot for the love of me find it.

Thanks for the advice.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
OP here, with update.

Got the little guy a clean cage (the improvised thing we were using before is all dirty and cramped)) and some birdseed. Its something made especially for doves and pidgeons, hopefully he'll like it.

Getting him into the cage scared the poor guy a bit, but he's calming down now. I have him on my back porch, not sure whether to bring him in (and put him in the basement again; every other room is either too bright, noisy, or accessible by my dog) for the night or not.
>> Anonymous
Injured birds generally need some heat (about 90 degrees iirc) and a place not near things they're afraid of. Limiting their vision via darkness is an excellent way of controlling their stress so they aren't thrashing around.

As for what they would eat, that may be a tough one. Seed may work for the short term but it's generally not healthy long-term.

Personally, I'd call some wildlife rescue centers...
>> Anonymous
>>310637
I checked the species of bird, and Wiki says it normally eats almost exclusively seeds. So, I went with that.

Been looking up rehab centers, not that many in the city. The closest one I can find is in Staten Island; I'm gonna email them soon.
>> Anonymous
This probably isn't going to be too helpful, but what the hell. The boyfriend and I recently rescued a bird and brought it to a vet - but damn, I can' remember the name. It was on Columbus and 80-something. 83rd, maybe? They treated it and then took it in (since we couldn't keep it at our apartment) - No charge.

Good luck! If I can find/remember the place, I'll post again.
>> Anonymous
IIRC, soaking seeds can make them easier for an injured bird to eat. I had a book on treating injured birds that suggested folding a towel in a small box (making holes in the lid for air circulation) because the darkness and small size calm the bird and keep it from thrashing around too much if there's a broken bone. Other than that, keep it warm to prevent shock, as others have suggested. Hope things work out okay for the bird.
>> Anonymous
OP, I live in NYC too, whereabouts are you?
>> Anonymous
>>310649
Westside Veterinary Center

It's between B'way and Amsterdam on 83rd, know the place well.
>> Anonymous
>>310654
Queens, Forest Hills.

>>310656
Gonna look the place up, but I'm kinda afraid of moving the dove around too much - a subway or car ride would probably scare him shitless. There is a vet nearby, but I personally don't trust the guy at all (killed my rabbit by overdose a couple of years back).
>> Anonymous
>>310656

Could be! Me and The Boy are apparently retarded tonight.

OP - We took the pigeon on the subway (we live in Brooklyn) and it survived no worse for the wear. It's not an ideal traveling situation, but it worked for us.
>> Anonymous
>>310662
Yeah I worked there part time a few years back. It's a dump.
>> Anonymous
>>310663

Orly? Than we're thinking of two different clinics. This place was really nice and the staff was really helpful.

DAMN I wish we weren't so fucking stupid. What the hell was the name of the damn vet's office?

HA - I tihnk this was the place:
The Wild Bird Fund, Inc.
c/o Animal General
558 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10024
646-306-2862
>> Anonyrat
That looks very dove like.
First of all, depending on where you live, that could be illegal to keep in your house, or even in a cage on the porch.
However, if you'd like to help:
The best thing you can do right now is call a wildlife clinic. There is probably one by you somewhere, look in the phonebook. They will most likely tell you to keep it overnight, as it is late, and bring it in the morning, but they will tell you what to do.
They will take doves.

Until then:
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP THIS BIRD CALM.
Wild animals die from stress very easily.
Don't talk to it or handle it more than you have to.
Put a cover of some sort over the cage so that it feels sheltered.
It will be fine outside, but it wouldn't hurt to bring it in, if your house is not super cold or hot.
Do not use a heating pad, especially if this bird is having trouble moving. You don't want to burn it, or put it in a spot where it can't avoid heat if it wants to.
Doves are ground and gorge feeders. Use a small shallow bowl (That one in your picture looks perfect, actually) and give it some water and some mixed seed, if you have any. You could also offer some cut up fruit. Do not give it bread crumbs. That's not a natural diet for the bird.
Make sure the water dish is very shallow, especially if it's having trouble moving, so that it can't drown itself.

And again, call a wildlife shelter. The one I work at is good enough to call the people who bring in the animals, so you might get to know what happens to it.
Thank you for trying to help this bird.
>> Anonymous
Eat it.

It's not like there isn't another thousand to replace it.
>> Anonymous
>>310665
Yeah I also worked part time at Animal General in high school. That's on 67th street and it's a hell of a lot nicer than Westside. They didn't have a bird clinic when I was there though.