Help me free a bird from a birdfeeder
October 10, 2021 9:36 AM Subscribe
Or should I let it figure it out on its own? Here are the photos: https://imgur.com/a/yecPqoU.
I believe this is a juvenile Northern Flicker woodpecker. It's not the smartest bird, I think the same one got its foot stuck in the feeder a few days ago. To pull it out or not?
It's got its head stuck in the bars. It's been there for at least an hour. It isn't making noises or flapping its wings in panic, so I'm hesitant to take action right now, but it needs to get free soon, for sure.
If I put on a heavy leather utility glove, grab it, and pull it out am I risking harming it? What if I break the feathers, which are what I'm assuming causing it to be stuck in the first place?
Any advice or recommendations are welcome!
It's got its head stuck in the bars. It's been there for at least an hour. It isn't making noises or flapping its wings in panic, so I'm hesitant to take action right now, but it needs to get free soon, for sure.
If I put on a heavy leather utility glove, grab it, and pull it out am I risking harming it? What if I break the feathers, which are what I'm assuming causing it to be stuck in the first place?
Any advice or recommendations are welcome!
Best answer: You probably don’t need heavy gloves, and could remove it barehanded. This looks like a starling, but for either starlings/woodpeckers, they won’t hurt you by biting your hand. It will most likely be fluttery with its wings and pokey with its beak, in an effort to escape.
See if you can pull it’s head back out first. Approach the bird from behind and use you index and middle fingers (with the birds neck area between those two fingers) and grasp it firmly but gently (pretend it’s a really ripe fruit). With these two fingers covering the birds shoulders, Pull gently to see if the head will dislodge. If not, can you use a wirecutter to snip the metal frame and make whatever hole/grid it’s head is caught in larger? Then remove the bird with your hand.
Good luck! Poor little friend. Broken feathers will grow back.
posted by Drosera at 9:53 AM on October 10, 2021 [12 favorites]
See if you can pull it’s head back out first. Approach the bird from behind and use you index and middle fingers (with the birds neck area between those two fingers) and grasp it firmly but gently (pretend it’s a really ripe fruit). With these two fingers covering the birds shoulders, Pull gently to see if the head will dislodge. If not, can you use a wirecutter to snip the metal frame and make whatever hole/grid it’s head is caught in larger? Then remove the bird with your hand.
Good luck! Poor little friend. Broken feathers will grow back.
posted by Drosera at 9:53 AM on October 10, 2021 [12 favorites]
Response by poster: Free! I pulled it gently backwards and the feathers just bent out of the way, no big deal. I put it on the ground and it just flew off! Had a moment of panic when I was pulling that I might hurt its neck or spine, but it was soft and flexible enough. And yes, I think it was actually a starling or grackle... we get some of those around here. I thought there was a yellow spot underneath but on closer inspection it was too spotted to be a flicker. Thank you both!
posted by Snowishberlin at 10:17 AM on October 10, 2021 [42 favorites]
posted by Snowishberlin at 10:17 AM on October 10, 2021 [42 favorites]
Yay, great job! Glad to hear it went well.
Birds can be a lot tinier than they seem, since feathers give them volume and shape. This is especially true around the neck area.
posted by Drosera at 12:51 PM on October 10, 2021
Birds can be a lot tinier than they seem, since feathers give them volume and shape. This is especially true around the neck area.
posted by Drosera at 12:51 PM on October 10, 2021
Thank you for updating and a successful rescue!
How did you resist a Freebird pun?
posted by theora55 at 5:30 PM on October 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
How did you resist a Freebird pun?
posted by theora55 at 5:30 PM on October 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: How did you resist a Freebird pun?
I was definitely thinking about it, but I didn't want to make the original post too flippant, and then the euphoria of freeing a bird made it still seem flippant. However, the idea was there!
posted by Snowishberlin at 7:43 AM on October 12, 2021
I was definitely thinking about it, but I didn't want to make the original post too flippant, and then the euphoria of freeing a bird made it still seem flippant. However, the idea was there!
posted by Snowishberlin at 7:43 AM on October 12, 2021
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Good luck though.
posted by LOOKING at 9:45 AM on October 10, 2021 [1 favorite]