Last night, I was walking a friend to his car when I noticed a distinctly bird shaped shadow under a street lamp. Closer inspection revealed it to be a pigeon. Even closer inspection revealed that it was unable (or at least unwilling) to fly, despite appearing healthy and uninjured.
I went in the house for a moment, and came back armed with a flashlight, a paper bag, a bathrobe, and a Dad. I used the Dad and the bathrobe to capture the pigeon, and placed it into a plastic storage tub overnight, unsure of whether it would still be alive in the morning.
Lo and behold, the pigeon was staring at me with bright eyes this morning. I moved it indoors, gave it a towel nest, water dish, and a bowl of millet mix. The pigeon is clearly an adult, has clear eyes and smooth feathers, and seems fairly inactive, but alert. It has eaten and pooped in the food bowl (which I take to be a good sign), and is cautious of my hand but not frantic. I felt the keel and it is noticeable, although not prominent, but the bird shows no other signs of illness or injury. I haven't closely inspected it because I want to avoid stressing it out much.
I'm thinking it might be someone's exhausted pet or something, so hopefully it will recover... but birds are unpredictable. It could be flying next week or it could be dead tomorrow. Anyway, I was just thinking I'd share, but if you have any advice I'd appreciate it.
I went in the house for a moment, and came back armed with a flashlight, a paper bag, a bathrobe, and a Dad. I used the Dad and the bathrobe to capture the pigeon, and placed it into a plastic storage tub overnight, unsure of whether it would still be alive in the morning.
Lo and behold, the pigeon was staring at me with bright eyes this morning. I moved it indoors, gave it a towel nest, water dish, and a bowl of millet mix. The pigeon is clearly an adult, has clear eyes and smooth feathers, and seems fairly inactive, but alert. It has eaten and pooped in the food bowl (which I take to be a good sign), and is cautious of my hand but not frantic. I felt the keel and it is noticeable, although not prominent, but the bird shows no other signs of illness or injury. I haven't closely inspected it because I want to avoid stressing it out much.
I'm thinking it might be someone's exhausted pet or something, so hopefully it will recover... but birds are unpredictable. It could be flying next week or it could be dead tomorrow. Anyway, I was just thinking I'd share, but if you have any advice I'd appreciate it.