Common Mistakes
Myths¶
- Myth: A swift can supposedly never take off from the ground
Truth: a swift in good condition can easily lift itself into the air from the ground.
The point is that it needs open space for takeoff, which is why the recommendation exists to take the swift to an open area and hold it on your outstretched hand so it has a chance to prepare for flight, look around, and possibly change its mind.
At the same time, you must not shake your hand or otherwise provoke it to fly.
- Myth: You can catch diseases from a swift
Truth: although a swift is not sterile, there is no danger if you follow basic hygiene. Our human illnesses are much more dangerous to it.
So follow a few rules: - wash your hands thoroughly with soap before and after contact with the bird, - use clean dishes, tissues, and gloves, - do not press the bird against your clothes, do not kiss the bird, do not lick the bird, and dispose of its droppings.
An unpleasant possibility is feather lice, which do not live on humans. To deal with them, place a chamomile tea bag next to the bird in the box; after a few days they disappear. Toxic substances are best avoided.
Common Mistakes¶
- Mistake - Wrong food
A swift is a strictly insectivorous bird!
Even a single violation of this rule can disrupt the formation of proper plumage, and a bird that might otherwise have been capable of flight can easily lose its chance to return to the sky and may even die in agony from poisoning.
It is important to understand that the plumage must be perfect for a swift to fly thousands of kilometers on the feathers it grows while staying with you.
Caution! Foods unsuitable for swifts!
Almost any bird food mix, including those supposedly for insectivores
Reason: Contains flour and other fillers; the insect percentage is too low for proper rearing
Eggs
Reason: Animal protein
Flies from sticky tapes
Reason: Helminths in flies, chemical poisoning from the composition of the sticky layer
Minced meat and any meat products
Reason: Animal meat is not the same as insects
Maggots
Reason: Not digested, cause intoxication, clog the stomach, and live ones can damage the GI tract from the inside
Dry pet food
Reason: Contains flour and other fillers
Wet pet food
Reason: Contains no insects
Canned insects
Reason: Poisoning, poor chick growth
Dried insects
Reason: Very low nutrient content, poor digestibility
Cottage cheese
Reason: Milk protein, casein, fats
Bloodworms or earthworms
Reason: A source of helminths, not digested, not insects
Bread and any baked goods
Reason: Contains flour and other fillers; there are no insects in it at all
- Mistake - Dirty feathers or feathers in poor condition
Unfortunately, there are many reasons why a swift may have poor feather condition: - incorrect feeding
Even a single incorrect feeding can disrupt feather development, and the bird will be doomed even after what seemed like a successful release.
- feathers soiled with droppings or grease from hands.
Keep the container with the swift clean and make it a rule to take the swift out not with your hands, but only wrapped in a clean cloth - unsuitable housing conditions, such as a cage with bars, or for example if the swift has the opportunity to climb, which leads to very poor tail feather condition.
Remember that for a flying bird, perfect feathers are the key to its well-being.
- Mistake - Tossing
People who find a bird think that if they toss it, it will supposedly be easier for it to take off, especially from a height. Unfortunately, this often only worsens previous injuries. Sadly, only specialists can identify behavioral abnormalities from photos or video. Never throw a bird.
- Mistake - Incorrect food calculation
Guideline: from 12 grams of cleaned insects for an adult to 20 grams for a chick per day(!). The older the swift, the less it eats. One symptom of an underfed swift is high activity. A well-fed swift is more likely to doze than run around the box.
- Mistake - Keeping it in a cage instead of a box
Unfortunately, the feathers become unusable quite quickly because of the swift's activity and curiosity. Ideally, the box should be darkened. This is familiar nest-like housing and does not overstimulate the bird.
- Mistake - Treating a swift like a pet
Please do not try to treat a chick like a pet: picking it up unnecessarily, carrying the swift on your clothing, "taking it out into the sun," letting it fly around the room, hanging it on curtains, and so on.
Chicks should spend the time before fledging in a shaded box; bright light stimulates them to be active, which only creates unnecessary risks for the plumage.
- Mistake - Removing broken feathers
Some ornithologists in veterinary clinics engage in this strange practice. They do not know that molting in an adult swift happens rarely. For example, flight feathers are replaced once every two years. Over two years in home care, a swift will definitely lose its ability to fly. If something is wrong with the feathers, do not let them be removed in a vet clinic; first check with volunteers what should be done and whether imping is possible.
- Mistake - Force-giving water in case of Traumatic Brain Injury or pouring it into the nostrils
Unfortunately, in the case of TBI, the bird must not be given liquid except medicines, because this contributes to brain swelling. In general, a swift does not consume much water; moist food (for example, thawed crickets) is usually sufficient.
For the correct way to give fluids, see the treatment section.
- Mistake - Bandaging around the torso
Birds' respiratory organs are different from ours, so you must not strap an injured wing, etc. to the torso, because the bird will suffocate.