PATIENT: Pied-billed Grebe, #11-2431

LOCATION OF RESCUE: Montgomery County, Virginia

INJURY:  Superficial keel wounds

ADMISSION DATE: September 24, 2011

OUTCOME: Died October 13, 2011

On Saturday, September 24 the Wildlife Center of Virginia admitted an adult Pied-billed Grebe. Found earlier that day on the side of a road in Montgomery County by Virginia Tech staff members, the grebe appeared to be suffering from superficial injuries to its keel [chest]. Dr. Adam Naylor treated the grebe’s wounds and applied a bandage.

The grebe’s blood was analyzed in the Center’s diagnostic lab on September 25, and no abnormalities were discovered. Radiographs were taken a few days after admission; Dr. Adam found no evidence of further injury.

Pied-billed Grebes are water birds so adapted to their aquatic habitats that they have difficulty moving on land.  Because of the position of the Pied-billed Grebe’s feet on its body, it cannot run for great distances, if at all, and recorded instances of it actually taking flight from land are rare. Pied-billed Grebes generally fly from one body of water to another, even when they migrate. This, combined with the grebe’s case history, led the Center’s veterinary staff to suspect that the grebe crashed into a paved surface thinking it was landing in a body of water — or perhaps while attempting to land in a puddle by the side of the road.  Once down, the Pied-billed Grebe could not return to flight without a larger body of water.

Pied-billed Grebes are, like one of our recently featured unique patients, likely to suffer from high amounts of stress while held in captivity. With this in mind, Dr. Adam recommended that the grebe’s diet be monitored closely.  #11-2431 did not begin eating on its own, but it has responded well to hand-feeding.

In order for the Pied-billed Grebe to be released back in the wild, staff veterinarians and rehabilitators need to make sure that it is waterproof. For aquatic birds, waterproofing is essential for survival because it prevents them from drowning or dying from exposure. To test whether or not the bird was waterproof when it first arrived, staff members placed the grebe in the hospital swimming tub.  After a couple hours in the warm water, #11-2431 was less buoyant and soaked through to its skin.

In order for the grebe to regain its resistance to water, it needs to have time in water every day in order to preen, and reorder its feathers. Therefore, the Center’s staff places the Pied-billed Grebe in a swimming tub full of warm water every morning where it can paddle throughout the day. Since it was brought to the Center, #11-2341’s waterproofing has continued to improve and the Center’s veterinarians are now hoping that it can be released in the near future.

October 5 update

The Pied-billed Grebe’s waterproofing is almost complete. As of now, the only area on the grebe that appears to not be waterproof is around the superficial wound on the grebe’s chest. The wound has healed almost entirely, but feathers have yet to grow back over the former abrasion. Not only is this small area not waterproof, but it’s also losing heat.  Center veterinarians used an infrared thermometer with a laser to test how well #11-2341’s feathers are insulating the area, and discovered that the healing wound is allowing heat to escape the bird’s body.

Although the improved waterproofing is encouraging, the Center’s veterinary staff is not sure that even with only this small patch of missing feathers the grebe will be able to survive in its native aquatic environment.  The vets are consulting with colleagues on the best time to release #11-2471, and in the meantime, the Pied-billed Grebe continues to be hand-fed multiple times a day by the Center’s rehabilitation staff.

October 14 update

We are sad to report that the Pied-Billed Grebe died unexpectedly on October 13. All outward indications were that patient 11-2431 would make a full recovery – its blood work was normal, it was eating well, and its attitude had been increasingly bright. Center veterinarians performed a necropsy and discovered that a large abscess had formed behind the wound on the Pied-billed Grebe’s keel.

The Center depends on the donations of caring individuals to provide veterinary care to wildlife and training in wildlife veterinary medicine.  Please help!