Old Birds

In recent years the World Bird Sanctuary Wildlife Hospital has received numerous hawks, owls and eagles from the wild that appear to be very old. 

It is next to impossible to tell the true age of these wild birds.  However, with our many years of experience, we think we know what to look for to approximate the age of the bird.  Older birds have feathers which have a dusty, grey sheen to them.  The scales on their legs and feet appear worn and not as smooth as a young bird, and the beak and face show signs of age and wear.  In some cases the bird may have advanced arthritis in its toes and legs.

I guess this is a sign of success.  If more birds are living longer lives, then our environmental education programs and habitat restoration efforts have started to work.  Drastic weather changes, such as we’ve had recently (rapid changes from warm to cold, extreme cold, or extreme heat) have an adverse effect on the elderly – just as with human beings.  We do our best to care for them and get them through their exhaustion by fattening them up, and care for them as best we can.  Some of them don’t make it, but for those that do, we release them in a place where we feel they will have access to bountiful food sources and water, so that they can live out the rest of their long lives in the wild.

Submitted by Joe Hoffmann, Sanctuary Manager, World Bird Sanctuary