It isn’t the first time we’ve given a bird a feather transplant.

It isn’t the first time we’ve given a bird a feather transplant.

The peregrine was found with a wing injury that was treated by a vet. At the time of the accident some of the flight feathers were damaged too, and during the following weeks they snapped, leaving just the shafts. It was impossible for us to tell if the injury had healed well enough for the bird to fly with so many feathers missing. If the bird was kept in an aviary, unable to fly, for several months, it would suffer muscle wastage, and it would be difficult to get the bird fit again. A bird such as a peregrine must be 100 per cent fit to hunt successfully. Another problem was the moult itself. During the moult, one flight feather on each wing is lost, and a new feather starts to grow. These new feathers are soft, full of blood and easily damaged. Normally they are protected by a complete feather on either side. This peregrine’s new feathers would be damaged when they grew beyond the line of broken shafts.

We couldn’t locate peregrine feathers, but rook feathers made a good match. We enlisted the help of an experienced falconer, who patiently trimmed the feathers to match those of the peregrine, and securely glued them in place. Now the peregrine has a matching set of feathers on each wing, and can fly in the aviary. His future looks promising.

BY GAY CHRISTIE, OF Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Centre