Blu Tit found dead

[Phoebe]

I noticed this Blue Tit the other day. It's he was bald around the neck with what looked like really scaly skin. He didn't seem to be able to close his wings, they were fluttering all the time.



Today I found him dead outside my gate

[jaykay]

Hi really sorry to see this, have you tried contacting the local vet to see what it was? it sounds like some sort of mite but I think I would be tempted to check that it's not contagious to any other wild birds.

[Jason Green]

Hi,

Poor bird, and poor you having to see this. My first thought was he may be a recovering victim of a cat/raptor strike... or it could, as suggested, be a bad mite infestation, I'm not sure.

At least he was able to feed from your feeders and remained local. Must've liked you.

RIP Blue tit

[Phoebe]

I realise now that this little bird was probably not quite dead when I photograpghed it. I looked at it again about half an hour after and it's little eyes were completely closed not like in my photos What brought it to my attention was another Blue Tit that landed right next to it and was looking at it That is so sad, I feel that they must have known each other or even been siblings

[Mungo]

That's so sad

[Pam_M]

Very sad, Phoebe!

[Jason Green]

I feel for you. I'm sure it was dead, just that the muscles probably took longer to react.

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by Phoebe

I realise now that this little bird was probably not quite dead when I photograpghed it. I looked at it again about half an hour after and it's little eyes were completely closed not like in my photos What brought it to my attention was another Blue Tit that landed right next to it and was looking at it That is so sad, I feel that they must have known each other or even been siblings

It's possible that you may be making up a story that just isn't true.

Another Blue Tit landing next to a dead one does not necessarily mean that that Blue Tit was related to it or even had any sympathy for what had happened. Or indeed has any capacity for recognising a dead sibling and grieving for its loss, or has any idea what grieving or loss means, which is a human construct, something birds probably do not understand or do.

It is easy to project human feelings and emotions onto a scene such as this, but birds have very little in common with human beings. They produce lots of young per year, many of which die, but there will always be some that survive.

Humans (and also elephants) have a 9 month gestation period, and generally produce only one offspring at a time, and usually less than three in their lifetime, so naturally a young human (or elephant) in any circumstance is deemed very important indeed, and the loss of one is deemed catastrophic.


Birds breed in their hundreds, and die in their hundreds. That's just how it is. Feeling sad for this fact, perhaps because the loss of a human is so significant, is something you need to deal with. The birds themsleves are used to this notion and face it every day. They have a short time in which to produce as many young as they can, knowing that a very small percentage of them will survive and go on to produce more young of their own. Thats what it is to be a bird.

[Jason Green]

If I can take it that the object the dead bird is resting on is a bin lid, and further still that the other tit 'landed right next to it' meaning the other tit was also on the bin, then that would be quite a coincidence if not! A bin isn't the usual place you'd see a tit resting on IMO. If the tit was also directly looking at the poor dead bird then it seems reasonable to me that it may just have realised.

Long-tailed Tits constantly call in their groups, each answering and calling. It helps the group stay together. If one seems to be missing the remaining flock will double-back and find the missing one. This has been proven during ringing/trapping exercises.

The point I'm making is that if Long-tailed Tits can realise they're missing one of their own, then in light of Phoebe's bird's it doesn't seem that unlikely. I can see your logic, but birds often surprise us with their behaviour.

[Doggle Avaddit]

OK, birds don't have a high degree of intellect.

A Blue Tit will recognise his sibling by his calls, colour, shape, behaviour etc etc. If he suddenly comes across a corpse, he is not going to recognise it because it does none of the above. It simply behaves nothing like a Blue Tit, so as far as the Blue Tit is concerned, it is not a Blue Tit.


I believe it is a mistake to bestow upon Birds traits and insights that we humans take for granted. We know it is a dead bird because our brains can make that connection. I very much doubt Birds have that ability.