Ill House Sparrow...

[griffgrouch]

...in the garden at the moment. I noticed him skulking around on the floor about two hours ago. He is still there, on the floor, near the corner with his head tucked into his back and looking puffed up.

I've seen ill birds before and this one has the 'look'

Not a lot I can do I suppose?

Actually, looking outside, he is looking for food, so can't be that bad. Very puffed up though, something is not right. Normall they fly off to cover.

[Chucky egg]

That's a shame, we have so few sparrows in Hertfordshire now.

x

[valleyforge]

Hi griffgrouch ... you are right ... what you have described sounds very much like a bird that is unwell.

There could be all manner of things that might have caused it to become unwell, so what I would normally do in similar circumstances is to try and gauge just how sick the bird might be.

Best start is to just observe it for a period, as you have done, to see how it is acting ... you say that it is looking for food, is there any out there for it to find? If not, perhaps scatter some seeds or crumbs.

Does it appear to feed OK, or just pecking half-heartedly around?
Is it being 'bullied' or threatened by other finches (approached by one or more in a crouched position with beak wide open)?
Does it spend any time sitting with its head tucked under a wing (as if dosing)?

If you notice any of these behaviours, next try slowly approaching the bird ... does it fly off to a high place of safety immediately, or just flutter a bit weakly for two or three metres, or less?

If the former, then just back off and leave it ... if the latter, then it might be best to attempt to capture the bird and bring it in for treatment. If you are not confident in simply approaching it and picking it up, then you can perhaps prevent causing it stress from repeated capture attempts by using a thin dishcloth or other lightweight piece of material (e.g. tee shirt, etc) to cast over it.

If you are successful in capturing it, then you won't of course necessarily be any closer to knowing why it is ill, unless you can see obvious signs of injury (missing feathers, puncture wound, clogged/soiled vent (anus) ... so in that case what you can always do is treat the symptom.

Birds puff up their feathers in an attempt to trap air around their bodies and so retain heat ... any bird exhibiting such symptom is cold and needs to be warmed first and foremost ... an overly chilled bird can't eat or drink properly so there's no point even trying at that stage.

Put the bird in a secure, darkened container like a shoe box (with suitable airholes punched through) and a thin branch or stick as a perch (placed so that the bird can sit upright when the box lid is in place. Keep the contained bird in a warm, dark, quiet place overnight and assess its condition in the morning.

These are generalities griffgrouch, as every case really needs to be assessed on a minute to minute basis, but perhaps its enough to give you an outline plan of action in response to your query as to what you can do.

What you have a mind to do, is of course a different question and is down to personal choice and ethics ... if you choose to do nothing, then there's nothing inherently wrong in that and you are simply a witness to a common act of nature ... if you decide that you want to intervene though, then it's important to recognise that from that point you are accepting responsibility not only from a moral standpoint, but also in some respects under the law too.

[griffgrouch]

He's back this morning, still puffed up. I approached him until I could nearly pick him up but he fluttered off, like you say a few metres to a bush.

Good advice there, I'll see what happens.

[griffgrouch]

Well, sad news I'm afraid. I found him this morning, huddled up by some house bricks, dead. Poor little thing.
It's strange that he seemed to know he was dying and chose my garden to die.

RIP Sparrow.

[valleyforge]

Sorry to hear that griffgrouch, but thanks for keeping us posted.

Would be worth watching out for any other sparrows or finches showing similar signs of lethargy/puffiness, as those symptoms can of course be indicative of contagious illness(es), some of which if caught early enough can be easily treated.

Just as likely though, your sparrow may just have reached the end of his naturally allotted time.

As a precaution though, it would be wise to dispose of the body carefully to avoid anything nasty such as trichomoniosis, being carried further up the food-chain by carrion eaters ... deep burial should suffice.

[griffgrouch]

Cheers all.