# Found Injured Pigeon Haaaaaalp



## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

i need help. 

I found an injured pigeon in the parking lot and I could not just leave it there to die in the heat. 

I picked it up and put it in a box. 

When I found it: It was hopping around and wobbling, and could not even stand up straight. 

So, now that I am home, I have examined the bird. There are no visible wounds to the bird. I have checked for blood and broken bones. 
There is no visible damage or injury to the bird. 

I have let it rest cradled in some towels. and it has seemed to perk up some. 

Now, it is in the box, with a small bowl of food and water. 

Not sure where to go with it from here. 

I held it on my hand with a glove on and it sat there. It would not fly away. So I placed it in a tree for a bit, and it stayed there as well. I have it back in the box now. It can and will flap it's wings.

Whatta do???


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## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

I am trying to upload a photo but I cannot figure out how.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Go to post a quick reply and click on "go advanced." Then you can add an attachment. Thank you for helping the poor bird. He may just be starving. Please keep him in a cage or carrier. In his current state he will be predator chow. Is he a ating seed and drinking water? Where do you live, so we may direct you to people perhaps nearer who can help?


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## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

cwebster said:


> Go to post a quick reply and click on "go advanced." Then you can add an attachment. Thank you for helping the poor bird. He may just be starving. Please keep him in a cage or carrier. In his current state he will be predator chow. Is he a ating seed and drinking water? Where do you live, so we may direct you to people perhaps nearer who can help?


I have it in a box with food (wild bird seed I picked up otw out) and a small bowl of water.

I am leaving the water there, but I will take it out before bed because i read that it could probably drown. 

I am in Denver CO.


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## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

These are the photos of the bird. 

I looked up the type and it is a domestic rock pigeon. 
-Gray with irridescent purple- ish on the neck. 


It is staying in the corner of the box, I am just letting it rest


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Lovely bird! There are wild bird rescuesin Denver on Google. Example:
http://wildbirdrehab.com/
Please make sure if you give the bird to anyone that they treat and do not euthanize. We got our first beloved critically injured feral, Phoebe, who became our dearest love for eight years. Would you like to learn how to have a pet pigeon, or just find it a home?


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## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

cwebster said:


> Lovely bird! There are wild bird rescuesin Denver on Google. Example:
> http://wildbirdrehab.com/
> Please make sure if you give the bird to anyone that they treat and do not euthanize. We got our first beloved critically injured feral, Phoebe, who became our dearest love for eight years. Would you like to learn how to have a pet pigeon, or just find it a home?


I have been reading up on it, and it looks to me like it may have a slightly injured wing, or a bird virus. 

I could not take it ever to a shelter that would kill it. NO way. That is why I brought it home. I would like to nurse it back to health or take it to a sanctuary. I m not sure what to do with it yet. But I do not want to take it anywhere that they will euthanize it.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Thank you for not just taking him to someone who will kill him. He may just be tired and hungry. Others more expert than me can help you check down his throat for signs of canker and observe whether his wing was injured. Pigeons are wonderful. Hope you may decide to keep him. Ours had a broken wing and her head was nearly decapitatedby a fan. We got her stitched up and she was a wonderful friend.
Another rescue is http://www.greenwoodwildlife.org/
We got our bird because our local wildlife rescue doesnt help pigeons,just euthanizes them, because they feel pigeons atent special. Pigeons are sweet, smart, are great parents, and deserve love. Your bird may be a lost domestic or a feral. But you have now been chosen by a pigeon.


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## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

cwebster said:


> Thank you for not just taking him to someone who will kill him. He may just be tired and hungry. Others more expert than me can help you check down his throat for signs of canker and observe whether his wing was injured. Pigeons are wonderful. Hope you may decide to keep him. Ours had a broken wing and her head was nearly decapitatedby a fan. We got her stitched up and she was a wonderful friend.


I held her up on a glove in my hand earlier today and tried placing her in that tree to see if she would go and she would not go on her own, so I brought her back inside. While I was holding her, I noticed she can move and flap her wings, so I am leaning toward an illness. 


How do I check for this canker?


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

To check for canker, you gently open her mouth and see if there are any yellowish masses. How are her droppings? Please do not put the bird in a tree. If she is ill or socialized to humans she will not survive if released. Please cage her and people here will try to help.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Can you post pics of the whole bird from the side also? And pic of his droppings?
Sounds as though it is sick. When you check it's mouth, you need to look way down the throat with a flash light, not just in the mouth. Canker doesn't always show in the throat anyway. It could be canker or something else. Does he eat well? Drink well?


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## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

cwebster said:


> To check for canker, you gently open her mouth and see if there are any yellowish masses. How are her droppings? Please do not put the bird in a tree. If she is ill or socialized to humans she will not survive if released. Please cage her and people here will try to help.


I tried to see if she wanted to go into the tree, but i got her back in the box when i saw it was not moving from it's spot. She is safe now and was only in the tree for a few minutes.


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## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

Jay3 said:


> Can you post pics of the whole bird from the side also? And pic of his droppings?
> Sounds as though it is sick. When you check it's mouth, you need to look way down the throat with a flash light, not just in the mouth. Canker doesn't always show in the throat anyway. It could be canker or something else. Does he eat well? Drink well?


I am not sure if it is eating. I got some wild bird seed from the store immediately after I picked it up. I tried to sprinkle water on it's mouth and it only shook its head. 
The food, I am not sure if she is eating it, but I have put some in the box i have it in for right now. I saw a youtube video to try and feed it peas. . . . 

I do not know if it is socialized. 

It pooed earlier while it was standing on the glove. 

I had picked it up out of the parking lot and put it in a box, so I had it in the car for about 1 hour while I went to go pick up my daughter from school, and try to decide what to do with the bird. At one point, a very foul smell came from the box, but i did not see any droppings on the box. 

When I returned after examining the bird for pellet gun wounds and broken legs etc I took it outside while wearing a gardening glove. It sat on my hand and could move. A couple of times it shook out it's wings and they spanned pretty widely and normally. 

It was sitting on my hand, and it pooed once, on the sidewalk. Erg, i did not look at it, but it seemed like pretty normal, but all i can say is that it was white. 

I will check the box in the morning for droppings and hulls, I took the cup of water out because something suggested it may drown, so i will offer it more water in the morning.


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## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

I came to check on the pigeon this morning and it pooed all over the box, it must have eaten the seed in there! It was standing up straight and very feral. I think it was feeling better. It was flying! So I opened up the box and let it go. 
It flew right away!  I am so happy. 

It must have just been feeling bad and bringing it into the warmth and giving it some rest and shelter was enough! YAY the birdie was feeling better this morning and went home


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Wish you had kept it for a few days. He may not have been well enough for release. He didn't look right in the pictures. He may have had a spurt of energy, but that doesn't mean he didn't need help or was well enough to be released. If he isn't well, as I suspect, then he will probably just die out there or be lunch for a hawk. You just put off the inevitable by taking him in and then letting him go.


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## pigeon_rescue_234 (May 2, 2017)

Jay3 said:


> Wish you had kept it for a few days. He may not have been well enough for release. He didn't look right in the pictures. He may have had a spurt of energy, but that doesn't mean he didn't need help or was well enough to be released. If he isn't well, as I suspect, then he will probably just die out there or be lunch for a hawk. You just put off the inevitable by taking him in and then letting him go.


I was not going to take him to a shelter, and I don't know how to take care of pigeons. I could not leave it to die in the street. I gave it another day, and even if it does not do well, I can find peace in knowing that I at least helped it survive another day. 

I did not kill this bird. Nature takes it's course. All I can do is what I can do. But thanks man, for the encouragement.


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