Underweight Blue Heron Learns To Feed Himself

The following story was shared with us by the Schuylkill Center Wildlife Clinic in Pennsylvania.

At the end of August we received an uncommon patient, a great blue heron that was found unmoving in a Good Samaritan’s backyard. Herons are challenging to capture and restrain due to their long necks and very sharp beaks. This heron was in such poor condition, though, that the people who found him were able to safely contain and transport him to the clinic.

On arrival, the heron was unable to stand or even lift his head. He was clearly very underweight and dehydrated, but we could find no signs of injury that would indicate how he came to be in this condition. He was treated immediately for a heavy parasite load and started on a rehydration and slow refeeding plan that included EmerAid IC Piscivore.

By the next morning, the heron was able to stand and move around in his cage, and we confirmed that he had no fractures or wounds. Our best guess is that, as a juvenile, he had been unsuccessful in finding enough food to feed himself. Our goal was to get him self-feeding and gaining weight.

It took nearly two weeks of tube-feeding liquid food then hand-feeding whole fish before the heron finally started eating on his own. Once he started recognizing the fish and mice we were offering as food and picking them up on his own, we knew it was time to move him to an outdoor enclosure to encourage him to exercise and build muscle.

After three more weeks, we were confident he had gained enough weight and was showing that he could recognize different food sources. We carefully chose a release location, a quiet river close to where he was found and where we knew there was plenty of food. On the day of his release, we gathered some friends and volunteers to say goodbye to this beautiful and special patient.