Update on Rescued dying baby cockatiel

[Dartman]

Nerd was my first Maxi Pionus who was with me for 31 years, from summer of 78 to 2009 around xmas time. The pigeon was a common city/rock pigeon probably just like yours. We've had many we rescued and let live with us while they got better. We raised a baby female house finch and hand fed her from a crow who got her for dinner too, she bonded and lived with us a extra year and a half she wouldn't have got. She was called Beeper and was a lot of fun and even sang the songs of her people, Nerd was truly homicidal towards her too and was much happier when she passed away and he had Daddy to himself again.
Keep doing what you're doing it makes a difference to the feathered souls you rescue and show love.

 

[Alien J]

I appreciate your words. You, too, must be a special person to care so for our feathered planet co-inhabitants.

Actually, Miyetti was (is) a more uncommon pigeon. A Band Tailed Pigeon is one of only seven species of pigeons/doves native to North America (and the one most closely related to the extinct Passenger Pigeon, who was one of the seven). They are the only pigeon native to California. They mostly live in the Foothills where acorns are a large part of their diet (they swallow them whole). Sadly, loss of habitat, due mostly to wildfires from drought and human encroachment of course, have driven them farther down into the LA Basin. There has been talk of using DNA from a museum specimen Passenger Pigeon and DNA from a Band Tailed Pigeon to try to bring back the Passenger Pigeon. Oddly, a parasite that was thought to have gone extinct along with the Passenger Pigeon has now been discovered on the Band Tailed Pigeon. They are dying by the thousands! They are also the largest native pigeon (and are protected by the 1918 Migratory Bird Act). That means it's okay to hunt them, but not save them! I could have been fined over $500,000 for helping Miyetti! Crazy, huh? While places like Pennsylvania still allow the use of the common Rock Pigeon for live target practice... what a world we have created!

Sorry for the bird history lesson! It's just something I'm passionate about!

 

[Dartman]

Many wild birds are technically illegal to rescue and help unless you have a rehabbers license or whatever, but most of them nobody really cares about so they don't actively look for them and people helping them. I'm pretty sure the house finch is among them but when she finally got sick and we were trying to decide whether to take her in anyways she died just before we loaded her up The vet and even I think a lady from the Audubon or a place like that said nobody really cares about house finches and they would have helped her with no issues even if she was on the list. I called about a young crow I met at work that started following me around, then jumped right onto my shoulder and started kinda barking at me, and the finch came up in conversation. Pretty sure somebody had raised that crow then got scared they would get in trouble and released it as I'd seen a Craigs list add for a hand raised crow somebody was trying to get rid of just before I met that guy. I didn't take him home because of Nerd then thought better of it and went back but he was gone. I probably would have just let him live in my yard and hang out till he learned to be a crow or at least let him stay safe nearby.

 

[Alien J]

I figured the chances of a fish and wildlife officer showing up at my door were pretty slim! I also don't feel I was going against the intention of the 1918 Migratory Bird Act, which was to protect native birds. I did call a wildlife rehab everyday for a week. I never got a return call. What was I supposed to do? Let that baby starve or be torn apart by the feral cats we are also responsible for?

I've always wanted a crow! Smart bird.

There are a lot of finches around here, too. Being North American natives, you're right, they are protected and it is illegal to possess or hunt them without a permit!

Keep on doing what you do! You must have a natural affinity for birds. That makes you extremely special!