Pūtangitangi (paradise ducks) and mallards with botulism recovering at BirdCare Aotearoa.

Botulism is a natural toxin produced by a bacterium (Clostridium botulinum) commonly found in soil. There are several types of botulism toxin, some of which can affect humans. Birds get their own kind of botulism (Type C). Botulism Type C is concentrated in aquatic invertebrates that filter feed sediments or water. When birds eat the invertebrates, they get a concentrated package of toxin. A bird-to-bird cycle can also exist where maggots feeding on dead birds can concentrate the toxin and can then be eaten by, and poison, other birds.

In birds, botulism presents as an ascending paralysis (meaning it starts from the legs and works its way up through the body) where the bird loses its ability to fly, swim, eat and eventually breathe. All of this while the bird is completely aware of what is happening. Most waterfowl species such as ducks, swans and coots drown as they lose their ability to hold their head up and off the water.

In Auckland, hundreds of mallards and other birds are affected every year, especially during late summer. Outbreaks in areas with high concentrations of birds such as Western Springs Park are particularly hard hit, resulting in the death of hundreds of birds every day.

Botulism has a widespread impact throughout the entire bird community, with many species impacted, including endemic and threatened species such as tarāpunga/red-billed gulls, tarāpuka/black-billed gulls, karoro/black-backed gulls, matuku moana/white-faced herons, tōrea pango/variable oystercatchers, poaka/pied stilts, kāruhiruhi/pied shags, and even huahou/red knots.

A member of the BirdCare Aotearoa team administers fluids to birds at the height of the 2022 botulism season.

At BirdCare Aotearoa, we assess and triage each bird, and provide an individual care plan so that every bird has the best chance of recovery and release. There is no treatment for botulism; birds receive nursing care to support them as their body eliminates the toxin. We support the bird’s body weight to facilitate breathing, hydrate the bird, feed them, and clean them until they are well enough to do all of this independently again. Most of the birds in our care will start recovering after 24 to 48 hours. However, more severely affected birds and some species (e.g. white-faced heron) will require at least one week before they can even stand up again.

When rescuing and caring for birds with botulism, it is important to remember that they are fully conscious and aware of what is happening to them, they can feel pain, and they will be highly stressed as they cannot move. It is important to minimise loud noises, handle these birds gently, and keep them as comfortable as possible in a clean, dry, and well-padded container.

Kakīānau (black swan) and mallards receiving fluids at BirdCare Aotearoa.

This year, our team has cared for over 650 birds with botulism. This is more than double the number of admissions in 2021. This year’s botulism season has also been longer than usual. The toxin thrives in warm water environments, so the warmer temperatures will definitely be contributing to the high numbers and longer season.

Our professional and innovative approach has seen BirdCare Aotearoa become a world leader in managing botulism in ducks. We are able to release around 96 percent of mallards after care – but we can only do this with your support.

How you can help

• Don’t feed ducks and other wild birds. It’s better to encourage them to forage naturally. Bread thrown into ponds can rot and promote the growth of botulism bacteria.
• Identify sick animals and bring them to BirdCare Aotearoa as soon as possible. Birds affected by botulism will display unusual behaviour – water birds may not be able to hold up their head, gulls may be able to walk but not fly, and other birds may drag one or both wings and appear weak and lethargic. Some birds will not be able to move at all. We can help many of these birds but it is essential that they receive care as soon as possible.
• Report botulism outbreaks. Eliminating avian botulism is difficult because the toxin producing bacteria occurs naturally in the environment. However, you can help control the spread by reporting outbreaks so that dead birds can be removed from the environment.
• Support us by donating. BirdCare Aotearoa is a charity caring for more than 6,000 birds every year. We rely on donations from individuals and businesses to be able to continue our life-saving work. Thanks to you, this year we’ve been able to rehabilitate hundreds of birds affected by botulism and return them to the wild. If you’d like to support us to help more birds, please consider becoming a regular giver.
  

  Mallards with botulism are carefully positioned on a towel rolled into a doughnut shape to support their weight and keep them upright and comfortable.

Baby tūī in nursery care – some still learning how to perch! Many of these birds were victims of cat attacks. Photo by MR

A day in the nursery goes a little something like this: arrive at 6.30-7.00am. Warm up syringe feeding mixes for each species in care. Feed the babies. Administer medications. Feed the babies. Clean out housing. Feed the babies. Set up housing with fresh branches and appropriate food. Feed the babies. Administer fluid therapy. Feed the babies. Prep syringe food mixes for the next day. Feed the babies. Restock supplies. Feed the babies. Clean out housing again. Feed the babies. Administer medications. Feed the babies. Feed the babies. Feed the babies.

The day ends between 7.00-9.00pm, depending on the needs of the birds in care. Birds may be fed as frequently as every 10 minutes! It’s a long day, and the babies never stop crying – but it’s all worth it to watch them grow into healthy young adults.

The 2021-2022 baby bird season has been our busiest yet. Our native nursery saw the likes of tūī, tauhou (silvereye), kōtare (kingfisher), ruru, mioweka/konini/moho pererū (banded rail), warou (welcome swallow), pūkeko, spur-winged plover, matuku moana (white-faced heron), and poaka (pied stilt). Our non-native nursery cared for blackbirds, song thrush, starlings, finches, sparrows, quails, pheasants, doves, pigeons, and ducklings, among others.

2020-2021 was a ruru season, but this season has been dominated by especially high numbers of kōtare and matuku moana. These past few months, we have released 24 young sacred kingfishers, and we have another 26 still in care. Most of these were raised from nestlings, and many arrived underweight and weak. We are proud to have successfully released nine young herons, most of whom arrived as sad, spiky little balls. In the wild, matuku moana lay up to five eggs, but the weaker birds are kicked out of the nest by their siblings. You can guess which nestlings we typically receive! These little ones needed high levels of care in their first weeks of life.

Juvenile matuku moana (white-faced herons) in their nursery enclosure. Photo by MR

Thanks to your support, we have raised three hatchling banded rails, two of which arrived in very unstable condition. We have released more than 65 young tūī this season, with 12 awaiting release. We have released around 90 sparrows and more than 100 blackbirds, with more soon to join them. We have released 18 pūkeko so far, and are still caring for a further 11. Around 40 tauhou have spread their wings, and 11 more are soon to be released.*

While the species we admit vary slightly from year to year, the main reasons for admission remain the same: cat interaction and well-intentioned bird-napping.

Baby birds are highly vulnerable to predation from introduced mammals, particularly cats. While all birds are at risk, naive fledglings are most impacted. We received over 350 confirmed cat attack victims in the first 2.5 months of 2022 alone, and over 1,650 in 2021. This does not include the countless other birds who were suspected but unconfirmed cat attack victims. Sadly, the mortality rate is extremely high in these cases. Common injuries resulting from cat attacks include: ruptured airsacs (which produces air bubbles underneath the skin), cuts and puncture wounds, fractured bones, ruptured internal organs, and internal bleeding. The bacteria in a cat’s mouth creates a high risk of deadly infection in any birds with even minor wounds (which may not be visible). Unfortunately, many of these birds arrive with such severe injuries that they need to be humanely euthanised in our triage clinic.

A baby ruru in nursery care. Photo by MR

This baby season, our confirmed cat attack victims included almost 40 tūī, 23 kōtare, 96 tauhou, approximately 350 blackbirds, approximately 115 song thrush, and approximately 220 sparrows. This does not include the many other young birds who were presumed victims. Sadly, the majority of these birds arrived too badly injured to rehabilitate.

You can help baby birds by keeping cats at home or under supervision. This is a vulnerable time for fledgling birds as they are taking their first steps into the big wide world, and can be quite oblivious to danger. If any cat interaction occurs, the bird needs to be taken to a rehabilitator as soon as possible to start antibiotic treatment. Please tell us if the bird you are bringing in has experienced cat interaction – we need to know, so that we can provide the correct treatment.

The second most common reason for admission is bird-napping. Fledgling birds leave the nest before they are able to fly properly, and can be found hopping around on the ground. Parent birds will come by with food, but will likely not be around all the time. This is totally normal! The best place for a healthy baby bird is with their parents. They may appear awkward but they are just learning about the world around them. We often receive young birds who have been mistakenly taken from their parents – please don’t take it personally if we ask you to return them! We appreciate your efforts to keep them safe, and we are always more than happy to give advice to protect the little ones in their natural environment.

A ruru raised in the nursery spending time in the aviary before release. Photo by F. Chaplin

As always, we finish the season with a list of winter jobs, topics to research, and improvements to make for next season. We constantly strive to improve our knowledge and care for our babies. We are currently planning:
– Our own 100% insect flour blend to replace commercial insectivore powders (some species thrive on the commercial blend, but others seem to do better on cricket and mealworm flours). We use this as a base for many syringe feeding recipes for our babies.
– A better, more productive bug farm (we hope to spend the winter growing mealworms to stockpile).
– A baby diet book including recipes for syringe feeding and foods to offer. We currently have an adult bird book but the baby book is still in draft format!
– Improvements to the outdoor aviaries, including fully mosquito proofing any that aren’t already. This protects our babies against mosquito-borne diseases such as avian malaria.
– More educational information to try and prevent harm before it happens! (Let us know if there are any topics you would like us to cover.)

We are endlessly grateful for your support, and we are never more appreciative than during baby bird season! Thanks to you, we’ve been able to rehabilitate hundreds of baby birds and return them to the wild. If you would like to help us help more birds, please visit our donate page.

*All numbers are accurate as of late March 2022

Waitā’s aviary, complete with some greenery to hide in, live mealworms, dry mealworm and mussel soup, and a delicious tray of earthworms.

After a week, Waitā moved to an aviary, where he soon started demolishing all food in sight. Ever the connoisseur, Waitā turned up his beak at all frozen food options (fish, shrimp, shellfish, and whitebait). Thanks to generous sponsorship, Waitā was thoroughly spoiled with wild-caught earthworms, hand picked mussels, crispy dried mealworms, crunchy baby crabs, tender marine worms, and his favourite: live mealworms. Waitā gained a whopping 260 grams during his stay.

Waitā’s vet Dani searching for tasty crabs and marine worms.

Waitā was banded, bathed, and released after over two months in care. He was released at a local beach, not far from where he was initially found. He immediately ran towards the other oystercatchers, then started foraging and had a splash in a tidal pool. You can watch the release video here.

Waitā immediately joined the other oystercatchers.

Thank you to Waitā’s sponsors: Julie, Lauren, Angela, Narelle, Jennifer, Lee, Jill, Manesha, Glynn, and Nikki.

Ruru hooked up to our new infusion pump.

Thanks to the support of the community, BirdCare’s recent annual Theatre Evening at Titirangi Theatre successfully raised the funds to purchase a much needed infusion pump.