A lot of bird admissions this week
June 16, 2015
By Joanna Fitzgerald
Director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital, Conservancy of Southwest Florida
91 animals admitted last week
A swallow-tailed kite and a great crested flycatcher were among the 91 animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week. Other admissions include a barred owl, a sandhill crane, a diamondback terrapin, a gopher tortoise and a yellow-bellied slider.
Swallow-tailed kite
Swallow-tailed kites are a bird of prey that swoop and glide through the air feeding on insects, amphibians and nestling birds.
The young swallow-tailed kite was rescued after it was found on the ground unable to fly. The kite’s mentation — or mental activity — was very dull when it arrived.
The kite didn’t show any outward signs of trauma although the person who found it thought the bird may have hit a pool screen. After a few days of care, hospital staff test flew the kite in a large outdoor flight enclosure but the bird could only make short, low flights.
The kite continues rehabilitating in the bird room at the hospital.
Great crested flycatcher
A nestling great crested flycatcher was admitted after falling from its nest. The flycatcher was bruised and showed an increased respiratory effort even while resting.
After several days of hospital care the youngster’s condition is improving.
Not all baby birds are injured when they fall from their nest or when they make their first attempt to fly. Often times baby birds are uninjured and therefore can be returned to the nest or a nearby tree so their parents can continue to raise them.
Nestling vs. Fledgling
Determining whether a baby bird that has been found on the ground is a nestling or fledgling determines the appropriate action needed.
— Nestlings are too young and don’t have enough feathers to be out of the nest.
— Fledglings are baby birds that, although they are still learning to fly, are old enough and active enough to be out of the nest.
Most fledglings learn to fly from the ground by making short hopping flights while gaining strength and coordination with each flight. The parent birds will continue to care for their fledglings by following their calls.
Keep in mind, not all birds nest in trees; we have several species of birds in our area that nest on the ground.
These birds , like the chuck-will’s-widow, raise their babies on the ground and rely on camouflage to keep safe.
Chuck-will’s-widows
Two newly hatched chuck-will’s-widows were picked up by telephone line workers when they saw the tiny fluffy babies on the ground.
The babies were perfectly healthy but the workers assumed they had fallen from a nest. They brought the babies to a local feed store where, thankfully, the store employees knew to call the wildlife hospital for assistance.
Staff tried to work with the “rescuers” to return the baby chuck-will’s-widows to their parents but we were unable to make contact and therefore had no choice but to raise the healthy babies at the wildlife hospital.
The babies have thrived under the care of wildlife hospital staff. But it will be extremely challenging to teach the chuck-will’s-widow babies how to hunt for food since they feed by opening their frog-like mouths to catch flying insects as they swoop through the air.
Unless an animal is in eminent danger of injury or death, please take a moment to observe the situation and call the wildlife hospital before taking action.
Current technology makes it easy to text or email a photo of an animal. Hospital staff can then determine if it looks like the animal needs to be brought to the wildlife hospital or if everything is fine and the animal should just be left undisturbed.
Many healthy wild animal babies are “kidnapped” by well-meaning individuals. The best chance a baby has for survival is to be raised by its parents who will teach it how to find food, what predators are, and all the other skills necessary to live in the wild. Never hesitate to call if you have questions or concerns.
Recent releases — 33 go home
- 1 loggerhead shrike
- 3 red-bellied woodpeckers
- 1 Florida red-bellied turtle
- 1 marsh rabbit
- 5 eastern cottontails
- 3 opossums
- 4 northern mockingbirds
- 2 Carolina wrens
- 1 anhinga
- 1 grey squirrel
- 2 mourning doves
- 2 raccoons
- 2 common grackles
- 2 American crows
- 1 yellow-bellied slider
- 2 eastern screech owls
Get involved
Please visit our website at www.conservancy.org and learn about the many opportunities there are to get involved.
Volunteers are vital in our efforts to assist native wildlife.
If you are unable to give of your time as a volunteer, become a memberordonate.
However you choose to become involved, your support will help the Conservancy continue to protect Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife and future.
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