Wild Birds - The Bird Eye An Organ Wild Animals Cannot Live Without

The name “bird’s eye” has been given to many companies and mapping mechanisms. Who could forget Bird’s Eye vegetables? There are many applications that want you to make the connection between the bird eye and high quality products or software that can show map details for miles. The bird’s eye is a remark that is often tossed around when someone is referring to a high vantage spot that allows them to see the lay of the land for several miles. How much do we owe these wild animals?

Did you know that your eye and the bird’s eye have many of the same structural features? Both the human eye and the bird eye have a cornea, retina, iris, lens, anterior chamber and eyelids. Some of these structures function in the same way for both humans and wild birds/domesticated birds.

The obvious difference is the size of the eye in comparison to the rest of the body. A starling’s eye is 15% of their body mass, whereas a human’s eye is only 1%.

The size of the eye depends on the bird species. Owls, for example, have huge eyes that allow them to take in more at once. For a wild bird that is important because it means that they can spot enemies and their prey much easier. Owls cannot move their eyes so they rotate their heads.

How far do they rotate their heads? They rotate a whopping 200 degrees. Another difference to be found is the number of eyelids a bird has over humans. The human eye only has an upper and lower eyelid.

All species of birds have three eyelids. They have an upper, lower and a nictitating membrane that cleans and protects the eye. Another difference is in the positioning of the eyes.

Humans and most wild animals, especially predators, have eyes that are not as centralized as a bird’s eye. A bird’s eye is on the front of the skull and they lack the ability to see very far to the sides. This is why birds turn their heads often.

Human’s can get by without their eyesight. There are many devices and advancements in medical science that allow for humans to compensate for vision loss. Wild birds do not have this luxury.

If their eyesight is damaged, then they will undoubtedly starve or die without outside help from a conservation or rescue group. The bird eye may just be an organ but it is one that these two legged, winged wild animals cannot live without.

Mike Selvon portal offers free articles on birds. Find out more about the bird eye, and leave a comment at the common birds blog.
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Any tips about how to take care of a wild baby bird?

Well some guy brought a wild baby bird in to the vet clinic I work at yesterday. We’ve been giving it powdered kitten food mixed with water and it seems to be doing ok with that. We’re trying to get it to a rehabilitation center soon. It has feathers and seems to be doing fine. The vet clinic normally never works with birds so we don’t know much about what to do. Are there any tips on how to take care of it until we get it some place better? I brought it home tonight, we always keep it in a box with a towel. Is that ok? It’s a baby blue jay if that helps.
margecutter:
We know we need to get it to a person quaified for birds like this so you don’t need to be so repetitive. We also already know where to take it, we’re just waiting till the weekend to drive up there. As for our clinic taking it, what else were we suppposed to do? The guy didn’t want to tae it back and put it where he found it so do we just toss the bird outside? The vet wasn’t stupid, she knows baby birds fledge and that if you find one it’s best to leave it alone or just watch it from a distance. You answered your question as if our clinic was the one that picked it up from someone’s lawn and took it in. Most of your long response was just pointless to the question I asked.

Answer
No offense, but this is why I always tell people with an injured or orphaned wild animal NOT to take it to a vet. Vets are for pets. I can not believe that your veterinary practice would even take an animal that it is not experienced and qualified to care for.

Please get this bird to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as quickly as possible. If you have not already located one, try here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

These people have the specialized training to care for wild animals. They also have the state and federal licenses required by law to have possession of a native migratory bird…which you and your clinic obviously do not have.

Until you get it to a licensed rehabber, do NOT place it in a box with a cloth towel. The bird can catch its nails in the towel. Use paper towel. Make sure that the bird can not get out of the box, but leave lots of airholes for it to breathe. Keep all pets, children and excitable adults away from it. Please remember that this is a wild animal, not someone’s pet bird. Have as little contact with it as possible, outside of feeding it.

Do NOT give it water with a dropper – birds, especially babies, can aspirate and die.

If it already has its feathers, it is probably a fledgling and the person who brought it in to your clinic should have left it right where they found it. Baby birds fledge (leave the nest) before they can fly. They need time to hop around on the ground and climb low branches and exercise their wings until they have strengthened them enough for flight. The parent birds continue to feed and care for the fledglings until they are self-sufficient. If you know exactly where the bird was found, you should place it in a low bush near that area, so the parents can find it and care for it.

In the interim, try placing some seed in the box for it…if it is a fledgling, it may already be pecking at food on its own. If not, the moistened dog/cat food is okay for an emergency, but not for any length of time. It needs to get to someone who is qualified and licensed to care for it.

Edit – My point is, it was the wrong thing to do – taking a bird your clinic had no clue how to care for. It was irresponsible to take it if you could not get it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.

You say that the vet knows about fledglings…then why didn’t the vet educate the person who brought the bird in? You (someone/anyone in the clinic) should have instructed that person to place the bird back near where it was found, so the parents could have found it. You should also have informed that person that it is illegal for him to have the bird, and that your clinic was also not licensed to care for wild animals. Then you could have given him the list of local wildlife rehabilitators.

Instead, your clinic took a bird it is not qualified or licensed to have, and gave the message that it is perfectly okay to “rescue” wild birds that have no need of rescue. I wonder how many more fledglings this guy will “rescue” and bring to you now.

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