Injured Blackbird

[jamess]

Hi,

A few days ago a blackbird sadly died. I had known it since it was a baby in September and had become very tame to me. I could almost touch it and would eat mealworms from my hand, and would wait on the tall tree at the end of my garden and fly to me when she saw me come out the patio door. It was just fascinating getting to know the bird, but I wonder now that it has died whether I could of done more.

From when I first saw it, it always used to have a cought or sneeze sort of sound, which I haven't seen any other blaackbird do, and it never seemed to flywith such pace and swerving movement like most blackbirds have. But this went on for months with no change and the bird seemed fine apart from this, but then 2 weeks ago it arrived on the patio hopping on 1 leg - his other foot was curled back. Has anyone else now if this was an injury or some sort of disease to the foot? I thought it would get better with days of rest, but it never cleared up. Then about a week later i noticed he wass struggling with her flying - nothing physical that i could see to her wings, but just couldn't get much height and struggled to reach high things (like the garden fence). TI then shut her in our greenhouse overnight for a few nights, it was very cold with the recent snow - as she always liked going in here to take food into or to just "chill out", so it was a familiar place. I provided plenty of live mealworms, dired and fresh fruits and blackbird foodmix, but her noticed she was eating less and less and found her dead on the moring after the second night in the greenhouse. Is there anything here I should be done, and do the symptoms ive mentioned ring any bells?

[poohbear]

The bird could have died from many things....If you ever want to help a sickly bird tame or wild....the most important thing is to provide heat....a temperature of around 80f can cure many ills in the bird world.

[Kayleigh]

Hi and welcome to WAB not sure but it could have been infection from the injury to its foot that killed it.

[Jason Green]

Hi James, and welcome to WAB!

She sounds sweet! I suspect she may have been perhaps the weakest of that brood, and your interception gave her a fighting chance... but as the weather turned she may have secombed (Sp.?! ). she may have injured her foot by getting it trapped in something, or a cat attack and gained an infection?

I doubt you could have done anything more - she practically had room service!

Take care,

Jason

[jamess]

thankyou everyone for the warm welcome

I forgot to mention it was breathing heavy in the last few days with its beak open and didn't seem to be able to fly dispite not having any injury to it, its just a shame..

Anyway, I must have about 7 other blackbirds that regularly come to the garden, 2 of them are mily tame - one of these cheekily perches outside the kitchen window looking in at me for food, and other mildly tame one doesn't get too scared if i try to go outside, but all the others are off in a flash. none of them are anywhere near as tame as the one which died.

My question is, is there a good skill to tame the blackbirds?At the moment i put a small china puppy bowl containg grapes, blueberries, raisins, saltanas, berry pellits, slices of bird cake and cut up bits of peanuts and sunflowers, and of course live worms!! Since ive put this out about 2 weeks ago, it was originally just for the injured blackbird, but it has attracted about 8 more blackbirds. But everytime i open the door, they all fly off in a dash!

Also, 2 of the blackbirds appear male as they are jet black, but they are a have a browny/black bill rather then yellow, an missing the yellow eye-ring - why is this?

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by jamess

Also, 2 of the blackbirds appear male as they are jet black, but they are a have a browny/black bill rather then yellow, an missing the yellow eye-ring - why is this?

If they have brownish primary wing feathers they are first winter males and haven't yet developed the orange bill and eyering. If they have black wings then they are 2nd winter or older migrants. Those don't develop the black eye ring or bill until close to the breeding season and it seems to be so that they are treated less aggressively by the resident territory defending blackbirds which will have the orange eye ring and beak.

[jamess]

thanks for clearing that up! one thing i have noticed is they certainly put up a fight for when the starlings come over to try and take the food he's eating!

[willow_tree]

mostly floppy legs mean a calium deficiency - give the bird some ground up cuttlefish. it helped with our starling - ziggy early fledgeling to fully fledged!