Wet orphan crow can't fly- will he be ok?

[Bella_F]

This morning I did my usual walk to find the little crow, to give him some food. He's usually in the park or somewhere near by, and I find him by following his cries.

We had some really heavy rain last night and this morning, and when I went looking for him it was still raining. I found him a little off course, crying loudly under a tree in a person's yard about a block away. He was *really* crying and obviously distressed. The windows of the house were open so I thought it would be rude to just throw food over the fence for the crow. So I called him and watched him for a while, and tried to coax him up onto the fence.

Then the lady from the house came out with a broom and started banging it loudly on the ground to scare it, and yelled at it to shoo it away. The little crow became really scared and distressed, and tried to fly away. But its wings are soaked and it couldn't get any elevation. It kind of tumbled & fluttered around crying out.

Anyway, I called out to the lady and told her all about the crow, where it lives, and how it doesn't have any parents and it needs to be fed. She and her husband, though not bird lovers, were ok with that and invited me around to feed it. I stayed in their yard as long as I could without being impolite, gave him some food, and told them that he'll probably flutter around their yard and cry until he's dry again. They seemed ok about it, a bit coolish, but ok.

Its stopped raining now; do you think he'll dry off enough to fly again soon? He's trying to get up to the top of a bin, which would allow him to get onto the lower branches of a big tree. He'll be right if can make it to those branches, but when I left him he couldn't even flutter to the top of the bin.

Any ideas? Of course I've thought about catching him, but theres no cats or dogs around and he's not in immediate danger, he just needs to dry off. I don't know long that will take though...

[rook]

Hello Bella_F,

I feel very sorry for your little feathered friend. He seems to be still very young, and actually very dependent, as he has obviously still got a lot of problems to find appropriate shelter (and food). I don't know how cold it is at your place at present, however, I would be a little bit concerned over the fact that the bird could get very cold when it is soaking wet for a longer period of time. Your crow will dry off eventually though, but it can take some time (and your crow would be prone to all sorts of things). You might want to assist the bird, by putting it up on to a sheltered, sunny and safe place, assuming that the bird is allowing you to handle it without stressing it to much. On the other hand, having read the other threat of yours as well, I'm more and more concerned that the bird is not capable yet to survive by it's own in the wild. Isn't there perhaps a corvid rehabber in your area, who would take care of the bird? Chances are perhaps better, when the bird gets back in a secure environment together with similar aged birds, and a second attempt could be made, perhaps as a soft release and/or group release? I don't know, it is just a thought... Good luck anyway!!!

Stephan.

[Charis]

Bella...I think you need to go get the Crow and bring it home. We already know something is not quite right with him. This may be his chance to survive or not. Likely whatever is wrong, is very treatable.

[Bella_F]

Hi Stephan,

There is a corvid rehabber in my area, who i talk to now and again for reassurance. She specialises in Australian crows and is raising one herself (in the wild though- not in a cage). She said that keeping them wild and just supplementing their food is their best chance to develop the skills to survive, but that they are slow growers. She told me it probably won't fly well for another 2-3 weeks.

The weather is good here, as its summer. But this was his first experience of heavy rain. His roost spot last night was uncovered, so he became drenched. I am hoping that if he can make through today, he'll remember this lesson for a long time.

I'll check him again throughout the day though. I think it would be a stressful experience to trap him, and I'm not sure if it will work. But I guess I should really consider the option. If he's on the ground all day, I'll have to get him somewhere safe to roost at night. Hopefully it won't come to that.

[Charis]

Bella...perhaps the rehabber take this one too? Could you ask? I think something is wrong with him and he needs help. This one and the one she is raising could maybe be released together, when the time comes. It would be good for both of them.

[Bella_F]

Originally Posted by Charis

Bella...perhaps the rehabber take this one too? Could you ask? I think something is wrong with him and he needs help. This one and the one she is raising could maybe be released together, when the time comes. It would be good for both of them.

Charis I like that idea. (not sure about catching him though...)

Why do you think theres' something wrong with him?

[Bella_F]

Hi Charis!

Yeah, i know what you mean. I'd love to keep him here and protect him. I'd love having him around, close to us, and to know he's safe instead of going mad with worry. But I've read a lot now, & chatted to corvid rehabbers, etc and I honestly believe his best chance is being left in the wild, and helping him with food. He'll grow slowly, and probably won't fly well for another 2-3 weeks. He'll face all kinds of dangers and maybe get hurt. But its still his best chance for his future as a wild bird.

It started raining heavily again, so I ran back up the block to see how he's going, and think about capturing him. But fortunately, he's made it up high in a leafy tree again, and he's stopped crying in distress, thankfully. If he follows his usual pattern, he'll make it back to the park this afternoon, and I'll give some more food.

[Bella_F]

Charis,

These are some pics I took on the first day we met him. He's grown a fair bit since then. To me he just looks very young, not necessarily ill. What do you think?

[Charis]

Bella...Looking at the pictures, looks like some balding spots around the eyes...is that just the way they are marked? That can be an indication of canker or worms.
He has amazing eyes.

[SueC]

Nice blue eyes. He's still a baby!

Apart from his spots around his eyes, is there something wrong with the balded part of his beak?

Compared to my crow, his beak is rather short. Different species, I guess.

[Bella_F]

Hi Sue and Charis,
He looks a bit hopeless and busted in the photos doesn't he? In hindsight I'd say he'd only just fledged, but maybe not completely as his feathers were still patchy. I've never met one so small and I think he probably still belonged in the nest.

The pink apparently stays on the beak for the first year in this species, Sue, but his beak did grow longer in the past 3 weeks. Hes a bit bigger now, fully feathered, shinier but he's still a baby with those bright blue eyes. They should turn amber when he's a juvenile, and eventually turn white in 2-3 years time.

Charis, he could have worms, but not gape worm, thankfully, as he'd be dead already. I can't worm him yet, because he doesn't always take the food I leave for him straight away; its usually partially eaten by other much smaller birds first, who are feeding young. The correct dose for him could kill the other smaller birds, so I'll leave it a bit.

He flew back to the yard belonging to the other neighbour who feeds him this arvo. I feel better; he's safe, and he'll get steak for dinner.

Thanks heaps for looking at the pictures for me.

[Charis]

If he gets soaked and grounded again, that will be your opportunity to nab him.
Keep some gloves, a blanket to throw over him and a kennel to put him in, handy and ready to take with you on short notice.

[rook]

Hi Bella_F,

I fully understand your concerns regarding handling and "confining" a wild bird, but occasionally it is necessary to do this to save their life. Seeing your lovely pics I wonder how the plumage looks like now, because at the time you found him, it did show a patchy almost whitish pattern, which is (in my experience) a sign of a nutritional deficiency (or agricultural chemicals). The food needs to be optimised and spiced with minerals and vitamins, to get the bird back into shape. Patchy or white feathers are more fragile and the bird might have to go through a full moult to get all feathers replaced with proper ones. Bald areas around the face could be caused by mites though, wouldn't be uncommon for a bird to have, but can be a serous problem when the birds immune system is weakened already. My last crow I cared for, did show similar symptoms, and on top of that was very lethargic as well. The bird just couldn't be asked to fly. It took a long time to get sorted. As he got better, I had to give him away to a place, where he was together with his kind (as you know imprinting is a huge problem with those clever birds). Please don't wait to long when you see him grounded again.

Stephan

[Margarret]

Bella,

I have rehabbed a number of crows. I would definitely take this one in as he is still very young. He needs heat and getting wet, as he did, he could get cold to the point of not being able to digest his food properly. Then, even if you are feeding him, he could have major problems. Baby birds, including crows, need to be warm to process their food. He isn't going to imprint in a few weeks if you limit your interaction with him to cleaning and feeding. Get a good brand of dry puppy chow, soak it till it is soft, and feed him this along with hard boiled egg. He looks pretty good, but he is at risk still. Perhaps your corvid rehabber friend could take him to be with other crows before he is released back to where you found him. He will have a much better chance if you get a good diet to him until he is big enough to fly and find his own food. It is odd to have a baby turn up this time of year. He must have been a Dec. hatch and that is way out of sync with nature, unless you are in the Southern Hemisphere. Then he is a late birth.

Margaret

[Bella_F]

Dear Rook, Charis, and Margarret,

Thanks heaps for your support ,and for your advice. Those pics are 3 weeks old now, and he has grown a bit, as fledglings tend to do. I'm told he will probably be a strong flyer in another 2-3 weeks, and I will be biting my nails until then.