Comments | zombiesquirrels: spill your guts

zombiesquirrels

spill your guts

Jul 25, 2006 14:57

Pigeons are tough birds. You can say what you want about them - call them dumb or refer to them as "rats with wings" - but you can't say they're not tough. Last night at PW, two girls came by just as we were closing up shop, with a pigeon that had just expired as they got out of their car. They'd found it lying in the street, breathing with its ( Read more... )

Comments 7

boygirlparty July 25 2006, 23:13:42 UTC

ew, this is gross, but also really fascinating a post. i've talked about this with my vet, how confused i was when our finchies died out of nowhere, and he reminded me that basically a sick looking bird is a bird that is going to be hunted, so they subconsciously (or have evolved to?) force themselves to appear ok even when they're on their death beds. it's insane.
i like how pigeons (rock doves) fan out their tails with a big CLACK when take off to fly.

zombiesquirrels July 26 2006, 02:08:38 UTC

I never thought about it that way, but it certainly makes sense. It's still mind-boggling that these birds were even ALIVE with the wounds that they had.

_scripted July 26 2006, 01:02:39 UTC

you officially have the neatest job ever. it just sounds so interesting, ha.

zombiesquirrels July 26 2006, 02:04:46 UTC

I wish this was my actual job. Alas, it's just the volunteering that I get to do once a week.

watchamacallit July 26 2006, 14:33:32 UTC

EEEEEEeeeeeeeeewwwwwwww.

birds anonymous August 2 2006, 14:21:57 UTC

to this day, everytime I go to the zoo, I go to the special birds first. I gotta tell you though, they must know you because I have never since received the reception we got the first time you showed me.

anyways, I wonder if it's all instinct or if maybe they have fewer nerves or a higher pain thershold. My parents raised cockatiels and had one conor (a little parrot like thing - that was a MEAN bird)and I recall hearing the same thing - if a bird is acting sick, it's too freaking late to do something. Yet a festering hole in the chest or a scalped situation, you'd like that'd be hard to hide. maybe all the nerves are in the wings for flight? A bird with a crippled wing is super easy to spot- they don't really keep their cool then.

Re: birds zombiesquirrels August 10 2006, 04:51:10 UTC

That can't be - that bird is always happy to see people (although I'm sure I secretly would like to believe that I'm special). I sure do like that bird.