The following is a message which I wrote the day after I gave up a young injured raven to a local wildlife rehabber. It was posted on the Crows Group on August 14, 2002. I will always treasure the memory of the hours I spent with this amazing bird.
If you haven't done it yet, read message part 1 first.
Yesterday evening, I received a phone call from my dad saying he had found an injured raven on the side of the freeway, and had brought it home. I came as soon as I could to find a young raven who was in quite a state! He (I'll use "he" for convenience)(1) is only a few months old, judging from his mouth (pink), eyes (dark gray) and feathers (dull looking and kind of fuzzy). He has had a few really bad days, by the look of things. His right wing is hanging down, he seems unable to lift it properly, even though he can stretch it out somewhat. His left ankle joint(2) is swollen badly, and he can't put full weight on it. His feet are both cracked and swollen, I assume from spending several days walking. All his tail feathers are gone! He weighs just over two pounds, which is about a pound less than he should.(3) His breast (keel) bone is painfully obvious, so his flight muscles have at least partially atrophied.
The results?
But things are not all grim. When he first saw me, he was in a cage that was really too small for him. He jumped a little, because he didn't recognize me. I talked to him a while, then let him out of the cage, and he went and hid under a chair. I talked to him some more, and then pulled the chair out so he couldn't hide. He headed for the bathroom, and discovered it was a dead end! I had some crackers and dog food, and I offered him some, to let him know I wasn't going to hurt him. He ate the crackers out of my hand, and then took each piece of dog food, one by one, and dropped it on the floor.(4) I then offered him some bread, which he took in one piece, and tried to eat it. It was too big, so he put one foot on it to hold it down, and began to pull pieces off and eat them. Because of his sore ankle, he couldn't hold it really well, so I took it and pulled it in pieces for him. He ate them all from my hand, even the tiny crumbs, but didn't pinch my hand at all.
After he had had enough to eat and drink, I took him in my lap to look at his wing. He was a little concerned at first, but he soon relaxed. I couldn't find any obvious broken bones, so it's not certain yet what's wrong. After I finished examining his wing, I gave him some saltine crackers (with the salt rubbed off first)(5) which he then consumed with gusto. His ability to eat seems only to be exceeded by his ability to poop!
While he was sitting in my lap, he decided to explore the strange creature that was holding him. He first had to check out my fingers, by taking them in his bill and feeling them. He never pinched. He checked out my clothes, determined they weren't a part of me, and from then on, if he was in pain or frustrated, he would grab my shirt, and pinch it and tug on it, but he never grabbed my skin. He checked out my watch, tried to pull my glasses off my face, nibbled on my ears (very gently), pulled my hair (also gently),(6) pulled my beard (a little harder - after I said "No!"(7) firmly a couple times, he stopped) and finally, he just sat and relaxed. After a few minutes, I noticed his nictitating membranes(8) were slowly closing, and within a short while he was asleep.
I set up the cage in my room so I could tell how he was doing, and then tried to sleep. He seemed to be in pain with his leg, and was tapping on the cage. I found a rag and balled it up and set it in his cage. He put his sore leg on the rag and went to sleep. Several times in the night, he would wake up, discover I wasn't there (I was about 6 feet away, but out of sight) and he would tap on the cage until I got up and sat down next to the cage. He then put his bill against the side of the cage, and when I put my hand on the other side, so we were almost touching, he would then go to sleep. It was as bad as having a new baby! Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep last night!
Today, we tried out some new foods. Corn flakes were definitely in! Chicken feed was a challenge- he only likes certain things in it (like cracked corn) and so stirs it up and picks out what he likes. Hard medium sized dog food is out, small size is okay, but not too much. Puffed rice is out, chili is definitely in! (Beans and meat- yummy!) So are crackers. Hard boiled egg yolk is eaten very slowly, but he seems to like it. We had quite an adventure trying out different things. He's also real careful about cleanliness. Whenever he eats something and gets some on his bill, he carefully wipes it off on the nearest object (like my hand or shirt!) and has even learned how to use a napkin!
He seems to communicate to me through body language, mostly, though sometimes I wonder how he's getting his point across without being obvious. Sometimes though it's really obvious, like when he pushes something away or reaches or points. Sometimes he fluffs up his head feathers slightly, and I wonder what it means. He hasn't spoken a single vocal sound since he's been here, only a few bill clatter sounds. When I look into his eyes, I seem to see a fantastic mind in there. He has that endearing corvid habit of looking at you one way, then another, then another etc., turning his head every which way.
I had to soak his foot and ankle in water for a while, to get some of the encrusted dirt, feathers, etc. loosened. While this was going on, he had another nap in my lap. When I had to remove the crusted stuff from his ankle, this must have caused quite a bit of pain, because his grabbing at my clothes became quite frantic! He still wouldn't ever pinch me personally, just my clothes. Even though I was causing him pain, he seemed to understand. I offer him my finger and say he has my permission to bite, but he just rubs his bill on it. He seems to enjoy when I rub him back.
This all was a really wonderful experience, but I knew it had to end, and too soon at that. I could tell he was in pain, and he needed to be looked at by a veterinarian. I called one, they don't do birds. Called another, they referred me to a local wildlife rehabber - I hadn't thought there was any close by, but there's this older lady who lives on a farm and does rehabbing. She is known only by word of mouth. I went and visited her place, and asked her what her policy was on animals which can't be released. She showed me a number of animals and birds which she has had for many years! Including some of those fad pets that people got tired of. She tries to find homes for non-releasables, or else takes care of them herself. I decided she was the right kind of person for my raven. When he saw her, he wasn't nervous at all, and had no problem with her touching him. She thought he must be someone's pet! I assured her that he was plenty wild just the night before! (he tamed within minutes) We got some food and water for him, and put him in a nice big outdoor cage with shelter, lots of perches, including wide, flat ones that are easier for him, and things he can use to climb up on.
I cried when I left.
I'll be keeping in touch with this lady, and post any news I get. He'll be going to the vet soon, and we'll find out the prognosis. I also took a couple of pictures of him, and will post them as soon as I can.
Does anybody know, if missing feathers grow back immediately, or will he have to wait until regular molting time next year? Can a raven fly without a tail? Any comments are welcome.
Thanks for bearing with me in my length!
--
Ethan
Notes
(1) “He” for convenience: With all the corvids it is nearly impossible to tell the sexes apart. There is no obvious difference, except that the female can be slightly smaller than the male. Return to text
(2) Ankle joint: On a bird, the ankle joint is the one which looks like a backwards knee. On a raven, it connects the lower leg, which is feathered, with the tarsus, which has shiny black scales instead of feathers. While it may look like part of the leg, the tarsus is actually part of the foot. Most birds actually stand on their toes, rather than their feet. Return to text
(3) Weight: While my raven weighed just over two pounds, the proper weight is around three; and some ravens (most likely big, well-fed males) can weigh up to four pounds. Return to text
(4) Why not Dogfood? Ravens are omnivores, like we are. They like a variety of foods, but they need lots of protein and other nutrients which are found in dogfood, so that would normally be a good food for them. The only problem with the dogfood here is that it wasn't soaked first. Ravens are picky eaters! Return to text
(5) Why remove salt? I'm not really sure about how good salt is for birds. I've heard before it's not good for them, so I decided to play it safe. Return to text
(6) Allopreening: This is something ravens do to each other. Since it is difficult for a raven to care for its own head feathers, it’s normal for one bird to preen the head feathers of another. It’s also something which has social implications. Since ravens are social animals, they do things to show friendship toward one another. I believe that's what was meant by the raven “preening” my “head feathers.” Return to text
(7) Though it may sound like I was yelling, I wasn’t! It wasn’t that bad... Return to text
(8) Nictitating membrane: The “third eyelid” which all birds have. They are used to keep the eye moist, and also for communication. In ravens it is an opaque membrane, and the bird cannot see when this membrane is closed. This “third eyelid” closes from front to back, all the way across the eye, and makes an apparent “flash” in the eye, because it happens so fast. Return to text
This page last changed on March 14, 2003.