# Colombian wild dove (torcaza) is not flying neither eating alone



## yolima (Jan 17, 2020)

Hi, I live on the Pacific Coast of Colombia, yesterday I found a wild grey dove on the street, shaking and not flying, I brought her to my house (outside, cause I have a cat, but where I am keeping her it is predator free). 
I cant see any injury at all, but if she tries to fly she crashes down especially towards the right side. She tries to escape when I take her using a towel and tries to fly again, she doesnt seem to walk but her paws dont seem injured.

I kept her in a box with water and a bit of fruit but it seems she is not eating by herself so I used a sirynge, I put it next to her mouth with water or food pushing the material out and she is obliged to swallow it down but doesnt do it alone I think. There are 30 degrees here so it is hot and i dont think she needs to feel warmer.

I am an international aid worker and travel constantly, I am in a little poor and violent town with no experts and no people who would take care of her so I have to find the way to make her fly and quickly.

Should I try some exercises? Where can I leave her if she doesnt fly, so that predators do not it her? we just have a park here and a lot of forest but she seems a urban dove.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Looks like a youngster, maybe not able to eat by himself yet. Do they eat fruit or seeds? You can put down a bowl with small mixed seed, he might start eating. To get him to drink, rather dip the tip of the beak (not over the nostrils, he might aspirate) in a small bowl of water. What does the droppings look like? If he is eating seeds, it will be brown, round with a white dot on top. If bright green and creamy, then he is not eating.

Maybe he was hit by a car and just needs time to recover.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Hi, I have never heard about this type of dove so I looked for some info online, the links could maybe help you (info about diet, physical description, etc):

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Zenaida_auriculata/

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/eareddoves.html

In case it's a concussion (as Marina said maybe a car hit him or he crashed into a window) the best thing is keeping him in a comfortable box, in a quiet place, in the dim light (I did the same thing when I cared about a dove who had it, I also had to hand feed him and offering him water. He looked like a "doll" then recovered really well).
Birds suffering from concussion should not be kept on a heat pad/hot water bottle but in a cool place so, if it's really a concussion (unfortunately it's just one of the options), you are doing well in not keeping him warmer. 

Here is a link about concussion:

http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/concussion.htm

Birds vitamins could help him but I imagine that it's not possible to find them there...


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