Young pigeon in trouble - need advice

[dinilogi]

A young pigeon was sleeping on my porch today where I feed the wild birds and have water for them & a fountain. When I came outdoors, he went to the yard and tried to fly but only got up a foot or so and tumbled back down. None of his feathers stick out or anything, so I don't see any injury. On the ground he turned around in clockwise circles, like he was spinning.

I herded him back to the porch where I have chicken wire on 2 sides which gives a little protection from the cats & occasional hawks. He was having a problem pecking at the sunflower seed I put down for him, with his neck bending too far back under his belly while attempting to eat the seed. He went in a few circles there, too. He managed to eat a few seeds & did drink some water.

I broke my foot last Friday so couldn't catch him, even though he lets me get very close to him. I went toward him a few times in the yard and he finally managed to get up on our roof.

I may see him again tomorrow. He is part of a clan of 9 dark-colored pigeons who eat here everyday. He's the smallest one & still has fluffy fledgling feathers, I think. What could be wrong with him?

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello & Welcome,
Your description sounds very much like PMV symptoms.

Please click on the link below, which will direct you to the thread that explains this illness.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=12248

I do hope you are successsul in catching this little one.
Please keep us posted

Cindy

[pdpbison]

Hi Dinilogi,


Just as a guess...

He may have a Beak injury or infection effecting the Beak...

He may have Canker, a common illness for them, effecting his Beak/Throat and or co-ordination also.

He may have a Bird Virus which is effecting his Nervous system.

He may also be starving as a result of not being able to fly for forraging opportunities, or, is not old enough/developed enough to fly yet anyway, and if having problems pecking, is likely starving...regardless.

See if you can locate a Pigeon rehabber in your area, and or let us know just where it is you are...

Maybe you could get some help catching him...and turn him over to an experienced hand for evaluation and treatment.

Thanks for writing to us and being concerned for this Bird..!


Phil
Las Vegas

[cyro51]

I agree with Cindy and the most likely cause of the spinning is PMV.

One of my first PMV pigeons did the spinning bit and tried to fly away. He was easy to catch with a light blanket thrown over him. You might want to try that. He will be vulnerable to predators and starvation while he remains outside.

By the way, please be very wary of handing over pigeon with PMV to rehabbers. Because they need to be quarantined for up to 6 weeks the most common outcome is euthanasia, because most rehabbers do not have the time or resources to deal with the illness.


Cynthia

[dinilogi]

who take care of wild birds. I live in the "Greater Los Angeles Area" in Southern California. More specifically, in the San Fernando Valley in an area called Pacoima (91331). I am not far from Burbank.

I would also like to know of anyone from this forum who lives in the Valley or even Los Angeles. I am from the San Francisco Bay Area but will be staying here for awhile more with relatives I've been helping for nearly 3 years. I have a part-time position with a company in Arcadia. Anyone from there? And maybe someone can network me to a person or group who helps injured and/or sick wildbirds. I have been feeding around 200 wildbirds everyday for about 3 years. I belong to the Cornell Birdwatch program.

[Trees Gray]

Hi dinilogi,

Hello and welcome to pigeons.com

Thank you for your concern over this youngster.

We have many people here from California, and one of our rehabbers (moderators) here lives in Orange County and knows other rehabbers in different locations. She should be along shortly.

Meanwhile here are a couple of sites to check:

http://www.pigeons.com/prd.htm

www.wildlifecare.org/list.html

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello dinilogi,
What is the status of the pij as of this morning? Please do try to catch him as this would be a life saving step for him.

At this point, predators, starvation & harming himself by crashing into things, are our utmost concerns.

Many thanks for all you can do for this most unfortunate pij.
Please do keep us posted.

Cindy

[Trees Gray]

Cindy, you are right, catching this bird is priority one.

The less stress involved the better, perhaps this website with simple trap might help?

http://www.racingbirds.com/ptrap.html

[TAWhatley]

Hi Dinilogi,

If you can catch this bird, we can figure out something. I'm in South Orange County, Lake Forest. We're probably about 75 miles away from each other, but I'll be happy to try and help.

Terry

[cyro51]

Terry is experienced in all types of pigeons illnesses and injuries including PMV and would be the very best place for this baby if you can catch it, despite the distance.


Cynthia

[dinilogi]

But I wasn't around much today on my broken foot, which finally swelled up a bit. I'll try to get in touch with Terry tomorrow, too. And I'm still trying to figure out how to respond to folks individually on this forum. Is there a Help area that explains how to do things on this site?

I'm also having major problems with my computer just now. Grrrr. Everything is happening at once! I will read up on how to catch a pigeon, but I'll have to find a neighbor to help me catch him if I see the youngster pigeon again. At least he knows where to come for food & water & his whole clan comes here.

[AZWhitefeather]

Originally Posted by dinilogi

And I'm still trying to figure out how to respond to folks individually on this forum. Is there a Help area that explains how to do things on this site?

Many thanks for the update. I do hope the little one returns & you are able to catch him.

If it's contacting a member off site that you are inquiring about, click on their name & a number of options will appear, to include sending a private email or message.

Cindy