Rose Fletcher
Rose from Australia - formerly Birdeye
This little one was picked up injured on a road in Willunga, South Australia, by my son. Because of the difficulty in rearing pigeon/dove chicks, and the fact that I didn't know where my recipe for pigeon milk was, I took it to a wildlife care organisation.
The problem, however, is this: Spotted Turtledoves (Streptopelia chinensis) are introduced birds and fall outside the care guidelines of the wildlife care organisation. Common Bronzewings (Phaps chalcoptera), which I believe the bird to be, are native birds and will be cared for. I took the bird to the care lady believing it to be a native bird, but she insisted that it was not a bronzewing, but an introduced turtledove. Once you take a bird to them, they will not give it back, so the bird is now in their hands.
It's now about 5.00 AM here, and I've been up all night worrying that they might put down a native bird by mistake. If I had thought it was an introduced bird I would have done my best for it myself; however, that was not what happened, and there's no going back.
Can anybody verify for me which species of bird this chick is, while there is still time to intervene if my ID was correct?
The problem, however, is this: Spotted Turtledoves (Streptopelia chinensis) are introduced birds and fall outside the care guidelines of the wildlife care organisation. Common Bronzewings (Phaps chalcoptera), which I believe the bird to be, are native birds and will be cared for. I took the bird to the care lady believing it to be a native bird, but she insisted that it was not a bronzewing, but an introduced turtledove. Once you take a bird to them, they will not give it back, so the bird is now in their hands.
It's now about 5.00 AM here, and I've been up all night worrying that they might put down a native bird by mistake. If I had thought it was an introduced bird I would have done my best for it myself; however, that was not what happened, and there's no going back.
Can anybody verify for me which species of bird this chick is, while there is still time to intervene if my ID was correct?