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Review these instructions carefully before you count and enter data
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Feeding Birds FAQs
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Unusual Birds Gallery
Find out about bird disease and identifying the signs of bird disease
Sick Birds Gallery
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Cornell Lab of Ornithology feeders
Ontario (winter only)
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Graphs of regional population trends and distributions
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Lab scientists analyze the data submitted by FeederWatch participants.
See birds well outside their winter range submitted to Project FeederWatch.
Start here for data entry and personal data review and exploration
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Jon Dykstra
Kennebunkport, ME, United States
Temp ~40 F. No other goldfinches were puffed up. Second day seeing the bird. Allowed me to pick it up. It couldn’t stand on it’s own. I moved it to a sheltered location where it soon died.
This may be totally expected end of life behavior…
Jon
Other
Dying goldfinch
In the last month I found one goldfinch dead. One that allowed me to pick it up and I moved it to a shelter. It died. This morning there was another one that was sitting on the ground and moved to protect itself under a small plant. A couple hours later I checked and found it dead. They did not appear hurt. Is there a sickness they are experiencing? Not sure what to do. I am in Indiana. February, 2023
Hello Lynette, Only veterinarians or federally licensed wildlife rehabilitators can legally treat wild birds. If you see a bird that appears to be compromised in some way, perhaps due to sickness or injury, do not try to care for the bird yourself. It is illegal for you to possess most wild birds unless you are under the direction of someone licensed for their care.
Whenever a sick bird comes to your feeder, we recommend that you remove the feeders the sick bird is using for a couple of weeks to ensure that disease is not being spread at your feeders and to give birds a chance to disperse. While the feeders are down clean your feeders and feeder area thoroughly. Remember that prevention is the key to avoiding the spread of disease. Regularly clean your feeders even when there are no signs of disease. For more info, please feel free to check out our page on Sick Birds and Bird Diseases.
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