Tag: corvids

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Plumage Problems In Wild And Captive Corvids

Carrion crow

A grounded premature rook or crow with white, brittle or partly broken wing and tail feathers needs expert and longterm care to allow the damaged feathers to be replaced during their annual moult. Birds affected should not be released before their complete annual moult, which happens for fledglings born this year in the summer of the following year. Otherwise it will be unlikely that these birds are going to survive their first winter, as the deficient plumage will quickly deteriorate further. This usually means that these birds will eventually become grounded. They will get easily wet and hypothermic, are prone to predation and will soon be unable to sustain themselves.

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Jackdaw Moritz – An Obituary

Jackdaw Moritz

It is completely unexpected and with great sadness that we have to announce the loss of our residential jackdaw Moritz.

Moritz was an adult jackdaw, who has been admitted in March 2017 after being rescued and saved by animal carers at the local zoo following a vicious attack by monkeys. Moritz came to us in shock, severely bleeding and with comminuted compound fractures of his right wing.

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The Science Behind Caramel Crows

This fascinating blog post by Kaeli Swift gives some detailed insight into the topic of what controls feather pigmentation in birds, and in particular corvids.

Shared with the kind permission of Kaeli Swift of Corvid Research.

 

Generally, when I receive emails with the subject line “interesting crow” it’s because the author noted some peculiar or amusing crow behavior they want to share, or because they spotted an unusual looking crow due to AKD, leucism or avian pox. Rarely, it’s for none of these reasons and is truly a horse of a different color. Or in this case, crow.[…]

via The science behind caramel crows — Corvid Research

 

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Another Post About The Diet Of Corvids

One of topics commonly discussed in corvid fora and question frequently asked is what to feed crows, usually referring to birds in the wild, but also to birds cared for in captivity or during rehabilitation. One of the most frequent answers given is that the name carrion crow is a giveaway, and that crows would eat, who would have guessed, almost exclusively any type of carrion.

However, when looking through findings of scientific studies about feeding habits of corvids, confirmed and enriched by individual experiences of corvid rescues and rehabbers, it becomes evident that this answer is not exactly true and would in fact suggest an unhealthy and unbalanced diet.

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Rook Aeneas – An Obituary

Rook Aeneas

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the loss of our rook Aeneas.

Aeneas was an adult rook, who came to us in August 2017. At admission we found a severely bleeding compound fracture of his right wing caused by a gun shot injury, which we treated conservatively. Aeneas did also show neurological signs consistent with a concussion featuring a weakness of his right wing and leg. These injuries were likely to be caused by being shot mid air and a subsequent severe impact trauma.

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