Bird 74

Bird 74
Gender: Unknown
Birth date: March 24, 2007
Preferred Partner: Unknown

This is bird 74 at about a week and a half old. I am unsure of its gender (as I am for all the newborns) so I will refer to it as 'he' until the determination has been made.

Bird 74 is the younger sibling of bird 73 (by only one day - I believe). Their parents are birds 71 and 72. They hatched in mid-to-late March 2007.

When bird 74 was just a few days old, I found him on the floor. Their nest was up on the top shelf of the cages, I cannot tell if he was hurt in the fall, but his left opposing toe could have been hurt as he wasn't moving it properly up to a week later. He seems fine though. He can walk around very well. Both the birds stand and walk on the lower part of their legs - I assume their leg muscles cannot keep up with their rapid growth pattern.

Also upon seeing him on the floor, I worried that his mother had rejected him. Though he was shivering on the floor, he had a good amount of body heat and was moving around as if he was alright. So I hoped it had all been an accident and I wrapped him in a washcloth for warmth and placed him back inside the cage where Mom was protecting and nurturing her young. I also turned down the air conditioner as it blows cold air directly onto their position and turned the cage so that the solid wall blocked the air when it did turn on. Then I hoped... It took over a day, but eventually, Bird 74 was back under Mom instead of in a blanket at the edge of the cage.

I like this picture, which was also taken at just under two weeks old, because he looks like a weird combination of ostrich, porcupine, and frog. You can also make out the fine yellow hairs he was born with around his head and chest. Its so interesting to come in everyday and see how much they have changed. He is a little scared here as I have taken him out of his nest (It is important to acclimate him to human touch - unfortunately I only have about ten minutes a day). He has risen up so that he is standing on only his feet, but he is very unstable and after the picture was taken, he lowered back down so that he was standing on the entire lower part of his limbs.

I almost forgot to mention the adorable "peeps" they make! They sound like little chicks! But where ever you hear a peeping little pigeon, you are sure to hear a growling mother close-by.