this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2026
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Superbowl

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From World Bird Sanctuary

If you guessed that babies 1, 2, & 4 need help and that 3 & 5 do not, you were correct!

One of the main things a baby photo will tell us is if the baby is even old enough to be out of the nest. Below a certain age, the baby needs help regardless of injury status. These babies are all old enough to be out of the nest. It is hard to determine injury status at this age, as their fluff can hide wing droops or other fracture signs. They are old enough to be mobile, but still young enough that they spend most of their time laying down and trying to hide, making behavior assessment challenging as well.

What abnormalities do our professional rehabbers see when they look at each photo?

Most of us got 2 answers correct, but it just goes to show it's hard to tell for the untrained eye. If you find a wild one that may need some help, give your pals at the local rehab a call! (And don't feed them or give them liquids! The animals. The rehabbers can make their own decisions to accept your hospitality or not.)

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[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

  1. Borderline too young to be out of the nest. Left eye is partially squinted, indicating a potential head or eye injury. Right wing looks abnormally positioned. Baby needs to come in for care.
[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

  1. No obvious abnormalities in photo. Questions about behavior indicated the baby had been there for over 8 hours without moving though, which can be a cause for concern. Our staff was unable to assess status from the photo and behavior description so went to perform a field exam. The baby hopped to its feet and ran away as soon as we approached and an exam reveled no injuries so it was able to remain with its parents.
[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

  1. Pupils are different sizes, but are also in different lighting. Feathers on left side of chest are sticking out abnormally and the left leg isn't visible when it should be, indicating a potential issue with that leg. Baby needs to come in for care.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)
[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

  1. This photo was taken by our staff after performing a field exam. The baby was reported potentially entangled, so we went out to help extract and assess. The baby had extracted itself by the time we arrived and an exam found no injuries. This photo shows even wing and leg use as well as an appropriate behavioral response for this age, indicating a healthy baby. If this was a finder photo, we would not be concerned about the baby's health.
[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

  1. Borderline too young to be out of the nest. Flight feathers that are growing in look misshapen and the baby's posture is abnormal, indicating likely injury or growth deformity. Baby needs to come in for care.
[–] teft@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Damn i was so close. 2 and 3 tricked me.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

I was happy to see I was right about the good camera being the clinic's camera, but no answers were so great.

It's really cool they provided all the stories and not simply the answers! Very helpful info on what details to look out for.