Being (what us rehabbers call) a “trashed” Brown Thrasher has not stopped this bird from singing.
However, it was too bad that two different people decided to raise this bird (last year) from a late nestling and not call me until they saw the bird was in bad shape. I thought he would need a little hat and scarf forever, but with the right care his contour feathers grew back and he eventually was able to be put outside.
His trashed tail has finally fallen off and hopefully will grow back. His wings still need new feathers but he can get around some. His spirits remains high and he does not try to peck at my feet anymore or perch on my head when I add food or freshen his water in the aviary. His eye is not the bright yellow color of a normal brown thrasher’s eye. I think it was too late to fix that. Their eye color changes as soon as they are fledglings.
This bird is an example of why you should always bring a bird to a permitted bird rehabber ASAP and not try to feed or raise it on your own. It does not work. You will not find the diets we give birds on the internet. Every bird needs a special diet specific to that species and bird rehabbers are taught that. That is why we have permits and take classes to know how to properly raise a bird, the first time. We also know how to try and undo what damage misguided people do, but that is not fair to the bird. So call a bird rehabber if you find a bird, We know how to #helpwildbirds survive.
