Yesterday this rather sad looking Kookaburra landed on our Hill’s hoist and I managed to grab a couple of photos before the bird moved on. He looked a bit of a wreck, as I suspect it would be nigh impossible to preen and clean feathers with such a deformed beak.
Dennis it dose look at bit of a wreck,but obviously it is surviving quite well, if he/she was hatched like that i suppose it wouldn't know any better, well captured
Yes, we were wondering if the bird hatched like that, or had been hit by a car or something at an early age. In the viewfinder the guy (gal?) looked a resilient character so I hope the fella has acquired the necessary skills to allow him to function and survive in the wild in spite of the crossed bill.
Given what they eat, it can probably survive a lot easier than if they were seed feeders. I suspect it is less of a disadvantage than it looks, despite the loss of preening ability. If it finds a mate to preen for it, it will be fine
Poor little bugger! Still, It's obviously not a juvenile going by its plumage and it doesn't look like a physical injury. Nature can be unbelievably resilient. Guess that comes from having no doctors or health cover. I'll put money on it living to a ripe old age. (I hope)
