A few of Willowbrooks bird patients are stuck spending the winter with us. This young broad-winged hawk and yellow-billed cuckoo are normally species that would migrate, but due to their condition, didnt make the cut to leave in fall. The hawk was admitted with a case of avian pox that eventually cleared up, but also had significant feather damage that requires a spring molt before release. Primary flight feathers are only replaced once yearly. The cuckoo was rescued after a window collision and was found to have a fractured keel (ouch!). That is the bone that runs down a birds chest that the flight muscles are attached to. Recovery for that takes time as well as rebuilding those flight muscles and skills. With continued progress and time, were looking forward to a spring/summer release for these layover travelers!
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 22:56:00 +0000
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