How can I help an injured crow fledgling with a hurt leg?
I found this guy right under my window, huddled in a corner and bleeding a lot (for a crow) from his leg. You can see that the leg is sort of twisted backwards on these two pics, and you can see where he was bleeding.
Me and my family held him down and sprayed antiseptic on his wound and most of his leg, which he didn't mind too much. Over the next two days, he managed to stop bleeding and seemingly recover, becoming much more active and lively. The thing is, he can't fly. But he was constantly hopping on things to try to get outside of the garden (though he didn't fear us, he just wanted to get back to his parents, presumably).
The thing that I'm worried about is whether his family is going to accept him back if we send him out again. We sent him out already once, and a neighbour found him huddled in a corner just like the last time, so he brought him home (though the crows sounded angry at him as he was doing so).
My grandmother disregarded our plan and put him out again in the morning while we were asleep, and the cawing woke me up. What I really need to know quickly so I can make a proper decision (whether to try to bring him back into the garden, which is very much near the nest, or whether to let him take the chances out there) is whether his family is going to abandon him for not being able to fly and for having an injured leg. I am PRETTY SURE (I'm not absolutely 100% sure that it was him but I'm decently sure) I saw a crow feeding him directly with my binoculars. However, I also saw that another fledgling that looked similar was flying.
The question is, if he can't fly and if he has a limp in one leg, will he survive? Will his family teach him how to fly, or will they abandon him for not knowing how to fly yet? The area where we live has a lot of stray cats, so that's the big problem.
Thanks, I hope someone can help me figure out the best decision. The reason we wanted to keep him in the garden a bit more is to feed him and wait until he can learn to fly in a safe environment that cats are more unlikely to enter.
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If you release him now he probably dies very soon either due to starvation or due to cats killing him. If you have the time you could nurture him back to health. In the animal world it often happens that parents only care for their offspring as long as it can't provide for itself. So if you nurture him back to health and release him when he is ready this would give him the best chances of survival. I left behind an injured bird last summer and I still regret this decision. I mean you could just provide the bare minimum, which is food, water and shelter and his chances of survival are much better than when you release him now...and after all animals are generally very grateful and won't forget your help which could be seen as rewarding..
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The source for this answer is an article Found a Baby Crow ? on the website of an organization called Pacific Wildlife.
I'm not a bird expert by any means, and certainly not a crow expert. Everything I say is from this article; the only experience I have with crows is observing them in our neighborhood for years. So I can say from my observations that they are intelligent and cooperative.
To summarize the article:
Crows are social and accept adult and baby crows from outside their extended family. Baby crows need to learn foraging and predator avoidance from adult crows, and need to learn how to behave among other crows. Thus, my suggestion that you might adopt the crow as a pet would deny the crow his natural social life with other crows. Would you want to be adopted by a group of giant corvids, however well they fed you? It is, of course, better than starving or being killed by a predator, but is not ideal. The article states:
Healthy crow fledglings can be introduced to any crow pod and will be accepted, fed and protected as one of their own.
The article describes how to return the baby to its family or introduce it to potential adopter crows.
Ideally, you should return the baby to the family of origin. Alternately, you can find another established pod of crows. To return a baby to its family or to "foster" it into a new family, follow these procedures: The best arrival time at the scene is early or late morning. The birds are active then, and you will want the baby to have the full day to get established and to get the number of feedings that it should have before dark. When you arrive at the site, hold the bird’s body gently in your hands leaving the wings free. Raise and lower the bird in your hands to encourage it to flap the wings. This will usually cause the baby to vocalize and will attract the attention of resident crows.
The resident crows will respond right away to the bird's cries and come down to investigate. When you have the attention of the family, toss the baby into a tall thicket or into a tree. They usually land sideways and hang by one leg as if they are stranded. Don't panic. They right themselves in a few minutes and will shortly communicate with the other crows. The family will adopt the baby and all will be well.
It seems from your question that you have observed that other crows are interested in this baby. Try this procedure, but watch what happens. If the crows adopt him, problem solved. If they reject him, you have a pet crow. You are part of nature, and I think it is admirable you are taking an interest in someone who might have died on your doorstep.
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