Ask Lafeber

pull sparrow died

Hi, I am very sad about the death of my pull sparrow that I found 9 days ago: she was already feathered but with bald patches on the chest.
I looked after her for a week, he ate with gusto and I could see her goiter swell through the bald patches. She started flying a few meters after 3 days of cares. On Wednesday morning (7 june) I accidentally stepped on his wing breaking a feather and for three hours she went into shock: he didn’t react, she was lethargic and she didn’t chirp or eat. In the afternoon she ate something but too little for her standard and in the evening she continued to sleep. The next day, june 8 from mid-morning and for all day long she started peeping again, pawing and flapping in the grass and eating with gusto. She was nearly back to how she was before the accident, I thought. The following morning she woke up sprightly, ate with gusto and I thought she was more and more on the road to recovery. But instead around noon she died. How is it possible? Are there some other possible unknown to me causes?

Hi,

I’m sorry this happened. Unfortunately there may have been something wrong with the bird in the first place, or you may have injured the bird internally. It’s also possible you didn’t offer the right diet. Anytime you find a wild bird, it is best to leave it alone and watch to see if the parents are nearby. This bird was probably learning to fly, and the parents were close and still feeding it when necessary. Many well meaning people think they need help, but unless they are at risk from a domestic cat, you should leave them alone. If there is a risk from a cat, you can contact a wildlife center to find someone who is trained to take care of injured or orphaned wildlife and know what their specialized diets are.

Take care,

Brenda