Jeremy, Chris and others
I'm sure there are many ways birds can lose feet. We had a couple of
cockatiels in an outdoor aviary some time ago. One lost a foot without any
other obvious injury. I can state categorically that there were no bivalves
or fishing lines in the aviary, and the bird wasn't banded! We never
worked out how it happened - perhaps collision with the cage, or rodent
attack? Anyway, the bird coped very well with one foot, but bizarrely, a
year or more later it lost the other foot. Again, no indication of what
happened, but this time there was more of an injury to the leg, and some
loss of blood. Whilst it could still fly, its ability to move around the
aviary, climb and feed were badly compromised so we had it euthanised by a
vet. The cause is still a mystery, so I guess there are a range of ways a
wader can lose toes or a foot.
On 24 February 2013 09:49, Jeremy O'Wheel <> wrote:
> Thanks, I accept that explanation so no need for references. What I was a
> "little bit skeptical" about is that being attributed as the best
> explanation for any particular bird seen without feet. I apologise for not
> making it clear. At the very least I think there are a number of plausible
> ways a bird could lose feet, and not the data to make entanglement the
> immediate best explanation. As I said in my initial email; "not to say it
> couldn't happpen." I just think it's hasty to immediately put that forward
> as the probable reason for podlessness (I made that word up!) in response
> to somebody asking about seeing a bird in such condition.
>
> Jeremy
> On 24/02/2013 9:40 AM, "Chris" <> wrote:
>
> > The foot being ripped of is not how the foot would be lost, either
> David's
> > explanation of ripping/tearing of tendons or of the fishing line cutting
> > into the flesh leading to infection and then gangrene are how I had been
> > led to believe the foot/leg could be lost from fishing line. I'll see if
> I
> > can find some sort of reference for it but gangrene makes sense to me.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Chris
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> > On 24/02/2013, at 12:31 AM, "Jeremy O'Wheel" <> wrote:
> >
> > > Of course I pretty clearly stated that I don't think tangling is
> > > impossible. What I stated was that I was skeptical about it as the
> most
> > > likely explanation in this instance. If you see a bird missing feet or
> > > toes, I don't think putting forward one particular explanation as the
> > most
> > > likely cause is very accurate.
> > >
> > > Jeremy
> > > On 24/02/2013 12:23 AM, "Peter Shute" <> wrote:
> > >
> > >> It seems odd that species that have fed on or near these bivalves for
> > many
> > >> thousands of years are dumb enough to let themselves be injured
> > regularly
> > >> by them to this extent.
> > >>
> > >> There's no doubt that they occasionally get trapped, as this has been
> > >> observed. But is there any evidence that this can lead to loss of a
> toe,
> > >> let alone a whole foot?
> > >>
> > >> According to this web page, fishing line entanglement is very common:
> > >>
> > >>
> >
> http://www.fishingmonthly.com.au/Articles/Display/11532-The-Dangers-Of-Discarded-Line
> > >>
> > >> Peter Shute
> > >>
> > >> Sent from my iPad
> > >>
> > >> On 23/02/2013, at 7:25 PM, "David Clark" <
> > >> <>> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> I saw the footless Pied Oystercatcher on a sandbank in Merimbula Lake
> > >> yesterday. Feeding on the mudflats nearby were two Eastern Curlews;
> > one of
> > >> which was limping badly and was making very heavy work of its
> foraging.
> > >>
> > >> When it flew to another spot I could see that its injured foot
> remained
> > >> splayed and was not tucked up for flight as usual. Anadara is a large
> > >> estuarine bivalve and I wonder if the Curlew tangled with one?
> > >>
> > >> The mudflats are home to millions of small purple crabs (we called
> them
> > >> purple people eaters when I was a child and I don't have my reference
> > books
> > >> with me to find the proper name). The crabs swarm across the mudflats
> > in
> > >> waves and it was interesting to watch the flow of crabs when four
> > >> Bar-tailed Godwits and one Silver Gull began feeding on them.
> > >>
> > >> Sent from my iPhone
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