Read the "sticky" on birds with broken bones but... (1 Viewer)

Hello All,

I am very rude in asking for help as there is nothing worse than a forum member that only joins for advice! However, when its a matter of life or death am willing to be deemed rude!

I know exactly what to do in my home country if ever I find a wild bird looking in distress - LEAVE IT ALONE/put it in a box with air holes if in danger and place in a dark place before calling a "bird expert" charity (found easily in the "Yellow Pages"!) HOWEVER, I live in Thailand now and some poor little blighter has just dropped from (very high up!) nest to my balcony and has broken a leg in the process! I have no idea what to do as there are no "bird expert" people here to my knowledge...couldn't even tell you the name of the bird but for saying the adults are like a black and white "wag-tail"...I'm fretting!!!

Edit to add: It has most of it's feathers (maybe the "looking like bald bits" due to the stress of the fall...) and can flap it's wings. To date have left it alone for the last 4 hours (now nearly 12:30 am here!) but no "Mummy bird" has come! :-( I know the leg is broken as at an angle currently no living being could achieve without it being "dodgy"! I fret for it - fear it's more or less dead already unless I get advice from experts to give it half a chance...

PLEASE, despite my rudeness, help if you can - it's broken a leg but keeps opening it's mouth for food (afraid to feed it anything in case I kill it - though I thought of boiled rice soaked in water...) I don't expect it to live the night but, I'll do all I can to give it a chance...

I fully appreciate any advice given!!!

C.
P.S. Think I posted my first request for help in the wrong section - Sorry!!!

P.S. I suppose, if birds work anything like humans, I could staighten the leg, put a splint to support and bind it...leg would heal (though surely not the best!!!) I wouldn't be able to do so though without putting it through a lot of pain/MORE distress - thinking that may also kill it????? Oh dear!!!! If anybody out there has an idea of what I should do PLEASE post as the poor thing is still chirping - just not as loudly anymore and certainly not as frequently!
If I leave it outdoors and go to bed I am frightened that it could become lunch for a bigger bird/snake heremust say, am vry tired now though! :-(

EDIT TO ADD: I REALLY need go go to sleep now as gone 1:30am watching this poor bird. I personally am "afraid" of things such as fish, butterflies and birds purely because they seem too delicate to me! I have woken up my husband to put it into a box and have placed the box (with air holes) in a dark place in case any big bird/snake comes along...don't expect an alive bird in the morning... :-(

Hi Canopy

The bones really need to be aligned properly, so it's not really something an amateur can do.

Is it possible for you to find a vet? Birds (apart from birds of prey) seem to manage very well with only one leg. But the vet would advise the best course.

D

Thank you so much for answering Delia - bird made the night (amazingly!) and so is now the worry in my otherwise happy life! I know not of any vets here as we know them...if a "vet" is the guy that hacks off dogs legs when hit by a car and makes him a "wheelbarrow" thing to replace them I know of where I could find them...BIRD people? - Just not! :-( Having looked at it in daylight would say it's chest is devoid of any feathers - the only properly looking feathers on this chap are those on his wings! HAD to feed him/her in the end as so long without - made it boiled rice soaked in water but fretting that too was wrong! Left it's little leg alone - it's already got odds against it and I do not want to cause it any more stress!!! Located the nest it came from but too high up to replace (I live on the 4th floor - nest more or less the 5th!) There seems to be bigger chicks in the nest if their noise and heads are anything to go by...I will sound very stupid now to 'bird people' but I am thinking they PURPOSE shoved this one out of the nest as this one would be lots weaker??? Do not know what to do with it to be honest, just keeping it all warm and dark and feeding the rice...REALLY, this baby is more demanding than a human one (mother of 3!!!) We have placed it back on the balcony where it was found all day today in the hope Mummy bird would come...no such luck!

I am thinking that I'm pretty much stuck with some baby bird whether I like it or not (NOT!!!) I am not happy with boiled rice soaked in water (doesn't it need vits.?) but all I'm happy to feed as I haven't the first clue about birds! If the little thing dies (thinking so - looks so small and fragile!) I want to know that I tried my best to save...all I care about is giving it a "best chance"...

Again, thank you for replying!

C.

Hi C

Thanks for updating us. I still think it's important to try and find a vet who can advise you, or search your local area for a rehabilitator: you could start with this Google Page.

Meantime, small bits of tinned dog or cat food, offered on an orange stick, may keep the wee thing going. It would help to know which species we're dealing with, if you can take a photograph.

D

Hi Delia,

I searched for rescue places yesterday - found one for monkeys, one for snakes and one for crocodiles can you believe but no bird one. :-( I would imagine any bird place would be likely to be located in a National Park if anywhere and those are miles and miles away from where I live...

I will try the cat/dog food (thank you so much for the advice). They tend to sell the dry stuff here as it's so hot but, if I soak it in water first, that should work.

I will try my best to get a photograph but must say that ICT is not my strong point and am yet to succeed in uploading photographs to send home to my parents to date. In the absence of a photograph I will describe this species as best I can and then will go and look at google images to see if I can find a picture of it there...

The adults are black and white - they look a bit like a "wag-tail" as they have quite a long and narrow tail. They are bigger than the common sparrow but are also very common over here. I would describe it as looking slightly like a magpie with it's colouring, but they are not related I don't think as this bird would be much smaller when fully grown.

...Sorry, this is poor I know, I'll go and search google images for help!

Edit to add: I've gone and searched and know what it is. It's one of these:
The Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered an Old World flycatcher. They are distinctive black and white birds with a long tail that is held upright as they forage on the ground or perch conspicuously. Distributed in many parts of tropical South and Southeast Asia, they are common birds in urban gardens as well as forests. They are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as cagebirds

I am 100% certain as have looked very hard at numerous images and compared baby bird to their young.

Thank you so much for your help!

C.

P.S. I am very sure that this baby is too young to be out of the nest. We have sparrows that nest the other side of our balcony and have had fledglings drop before - they had all of their feathers though and were bigger than this chap. We left those alone (as we did this baby initially) and Mummy bird continued to feed them while they were on the ground before they got strong enough to fly away...this thing couldn't attempt flight if it's life depended on it and is far smaller than the fledgling sparrows. I really wish the nest was lower but, even if replaced, I suspect it would fall again if it's demanding brothers and sisters are anything to go by...Placed it back on the balcony again today in the hope Mummy bird hears it's cries and comes to feed it but no joy yet... Sent my eldest to buy cat food as am not expecting any joy either. :-( Dear me, how I wish I knew more about birds!

Little chap isn't looking too good today - has stopped asking for food and seems to sleep much more...have used tweezers to prompt him/her into eating dried cat food soaked in water but don't "hold my breath" if wishing for survival! I have noticed that, whilst his/her wings are more feathered they are not true feathers as only numerous main feather "trunks" come from it's wings...the "fluffy bits" that ought come from these "trunks" are yet to form...poor little thing, I know I've tried my best but think my "best" not good enough...:-( It's still alive but very, very sleepy!

Really sorry to have to post this as am hugely gutted - have 3 children sobbing their hearts out and one dead little baby bird! :-( Awww, tried my hardest to save but SO little and fragile! I didn't hold out much hope to be honest - maybe if a little bigger and stronger...STILL gutted though - thank you Delia for trying to help me but, my efforts were not "Mummy bird" and I think that's exactly what this baby needed!!!

I leave the forum with a tear and a smile for meeting somebody willing to help a stranger.

C.

I'm so sorry C. It's possible there was something else wrong, which is why it had been evicted from the nest.

These things happen and it is so hard to deal with, but you tried your best and must take some consolation from that.

Try and do some research, now, into who may be able to help, so that if you're faced with a similar situation in the future, you may be in a better position to take effective action.

D

I am on a mission to find a "somebody" if this ever happens again - still no joy yet though... Birds have nested on my balcony for the last 3 years but never have I had such a little one drop before. The others were bigger and ready to leave the nest...I'm moving soon and am not liking the idea of 6 balconies with nesting birds (only have one large one here!) as the probability of this happening again has just increased!!!

Thank you so very much for all of your time and help. I tried my best but it wasn't enough - such is life sometimes. :-( I plan on researching any nesting birds on any of my balconies as soon as I move as, if this ever happens again, at least I'd know what type they are from word go. Also going to continue to try and find a SOMEBODY that knows about birds locally if I possibly can...doesn't help that my Thai is poor - otherwise I could verbally ask around/read Thai websites!!!

We gave the baby bird a burial in one of the huge pots we have on the balcony so, as I told the children, baby bird will be coming with us as a reminder to learn more about the birds around us!

Thank you again for your help. If nothing else, this experience has taught me to acknowledge the birds living wild around me and to find out about them before I find myself in such a situation ever again!

All the best!!

C. (Welsh rather than Thai!)

Hi Canopy,

There are a few BF members resident in Thailand. You haven't said exactly where you are - but their advice would be of greater use to you than those of us elsewhere. If you have a look at the section here: http://www.birdforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=543 this thread is all about Thailand.

I'm sure some birders might have local knowledge of use to you.

Well done on the attempt to keep the Magpie robin alive - they eat insects & other small animals - even swallowing small reptiles & amphibians, so the dog/cat food suggestion was OK.

As you get to know the (fantastic) birds of Thailand you'll get to love them & their variety. Great place to bird.

Good luck,

H