Northern flicker woodpecker

So sorry this darling creature did not survive. About 30 years ago, I caught a young mockingbird. It had full plumage, but was very young and clearly smaller than the adults in the neighborhood. He was covered with clear, tiny mites. Placing him in a wicker basket w/ a white towel on it and a light attracted most of the mites off of him to the towel - rejuvenating him. I provided grasshoppers and other insects as food and had him for 3 weeks as he built up his strength. He would come to me when I called him. A few days before I planned to release him, he died unexpectedly. I found out later from a local bird rehabilitator that mockingbirds get vitamin B in the wild from an unknown source and they must get supplements in captivity. Could be the same with your woodpecker... could have been an infection and/or a mineral or nutrient deficiency you couldn't foresee. I've only had success with one bird that I kept and did not pass on to a rehabilitator... a starling I kept for 6 months while he healed from being shot with a pellet gun. He had a bruised shoulder and could only fly like a chicken when I got him. I kept him over the cold winter, assuming he may not have built up enough fat to stay warm, and let him go in the spring. They are non-native to America and a very resilient species that can eat just about anything - well, at McDonald's they will eat anything. In captivity, the only thing my starling would eat was gourmet food for Mynah birds. I cannot imagine how heartbreaking it was to have this beautiful specimen die on you... but birds can be very delicate creatures with very specific diets that even researchers are not completely aware of.

Thank you, Karen.

Unfortunately cats have a lot of bacteria in their mouths & that may be what infected this little guy. Good job on trying to save him. If you rescue any other critters usually the best course of action is to get them to a licensed animal rehabber as quickly as possible. Here is a list for you - http://wildliferehabinfo.org/ContactList...

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh

The intention was to release him back to the wild. Unfortunately, though his injuries seemed minor, he didn't survive.

Poor thing!

Welcome to Project Noah rebeca! I'm glad this beautiful bird was rescued from a cat; will he be released back to the wild?
You could put this spotting in the Captive Animals mission at http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/7973...