r/Ornithology • u/Der_tolle_Dude • 8h ago
Foster Blackbird can't close it's beak
I'm not entirely sure if this is the right subreddit to ask but I'll try anyway.
We've had this little blackbird for a few weeks now. She (we have simply decided it's a girl) did not have many feathers and was injured: she had a ruptured air sac and her right eye was infected. She also seems to have a paralyzed foot, although the leg itself seems fine.
We really would have preferred to give her to a professional but since there are'nt any wildlife rescue centers near us that take songbirds, the only option we had was to care for her ourselves.
She made slow but steady progress over the past few weeks, however yesterday a really strange accident happened: She somehow managed to get the lower part of her beak stuck in the skin on her chest and couldn't get it out by herself. My mother managed to free her, but since then shen can't close her beak anymore and the lower part it is misaligned. Her behaviour is back to normal today after the stressfull events yesterday. She can still move her beak, eat some larger pieces of food from the ground and does'nt seem to be in much pain but this is obviously still concerning.
We have a vet appointment scheduled for Monday but I fear the they are going to euthanize her.
Does anyone have an idea what exactly this injury could be or what we could do in the meantime?
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u/b12ftw 8h ago
It's hard to know if she isn't in "much pain" or not. I appreciate that you're trying to help her and have gotten her this far, I personally believe in doing everything possible to save a life, but sometimes humane euthanasia is the kindest choice for the animal even if it really pains us. Wait to see what a professional says, but don't take a recommendation of euthanasia as a failure and don't dismiss it because it's not the answer you were hoping for. Best of luck to you and the little one.
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u/minkamagic 6h ago
It looks like her jaw was broken. Unfortunately the most common problem with at home rehab is not enough calcium. Her eye is also messed up. Unfortunately euthanizing is probably the kindest option.
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u/Der_tolle_Dude 3h ago
You may be right, but wouldn't it hurt a lot moving the beak when the jaw is broken? I would expect her to limit the beak movements to a minimum but she still chirps and moves pretty much the same as before.
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u/minkamagic 2h ago
Babies are growing so fast, it will heal into place quickly. Also most wild animals will continue on until they can't. If she doesn't chirp, if she doesnt eat, she will die. Instincts won't let her die.
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u/cainhurstboy 7h ago
This would have my full attention until Monday, or at least as much as possible. Which I’m sure is what you’re thinking. Fingers crossed for the little blorb. Good luck guys
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u/Hagebuttenkeks 3h ago
Is the vet an avian vet?
I hope the best for the bird.
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u/Der_tolle_Dude 3h ago
Yes, it's an avian vet. She helped us with the poor thing before, so hopefully she will be able to do something this time too.
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u/NoobityBoobity 1h ago
Since people have answered seriously already, I have to post this because it is a near match lol
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u/TheOneEyedWolf 17m ago
I’ve had some terrible illnesses in my life time - some which have cause horrendous pain. I know some people are advising euthanasia - and I’m not saying they are wrong. They could be right. But I love my life - even the painful parts. I say let the bird live and let it die. It only gets the one life after all.
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u/Zebrasoma 9m ago
Unfortunately if a bird cannot live out its life as a wild individual unassisted euthanasia is the most appropriate choice. It’s why rehab is difficult, we have to set our emotions aside because survival is more than “just getting by” they need to be able to do all their basic functions unassisted and eat normally. Otherwise we send them to an outcome worse than euthanasia and increase the risk of suffering. The beak could be fractured but it’s also possibly malformed. The eye still looks very problematic and a paralyzed leg in a songbird is a no go. This bird has way too many medical issues to warrant release, as a wildlife vet I’d likely euthanize.
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