In early November, a call came in about a large water bird found sitting on a roadway. The bird's kind rescuers didn't know the species, so they sent a quick photo to help with identification while they headed to the Center.
The picture showed the bird's dull brown body and head, and part of the pinkish beak. Staff members could not agree on what they were seeing.
Could it be a cormorant, or maybe a gannet? It couldn't be a brown booby, could it? The team had to wait for the new patient to arrive to make a positive identification.
As it turned out, it wasn't a brown booby after all— it was a juvenile red-footed booby! A pantropical seabird that, as far as we can tell, has never been spotted in the interior of North America. A bird who would feel much more at home diving for fish in the Galapagos was just plucked from the pavement of Highway 44 in downtown St. Louis. What on Earth was she doing here?
Other than being thin and tired, the initial examination found no serious injuries. The bird was able to stand on her own and protest being handled, so she was settled in a warm room to rest while staff began reaching out in all directions for help formulating a treatment plan.
Wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians with seabird experience from Seattle to New Jersey to the Galapagos confirmed the identification. After recovering from shock, each gave what advice they had while promising to reach out to their contacts. Within two hours, the red-footed booby was provided with a selection of fish, three choices of perches, and a saltwater pool.
Despite a massive amount of teamwork and intensive care, the red-footed booby passed away on her second night in care. Extensive testing later found she had sustained damage to a large artery, which subsequently ruptured. The cause of death was consistent with blunt force trauma, most likely from a car strike.
But her story is not over. Wildlife professionals from all over the country are invested and waiting to hear the results of a plethora of diagnostic tests that may give insight to her origins.
Now you are among the first to learn these early findings: DNA confirmed the juvenile red-footed booby was female. She was thin and had very little fat stores. Tests for avian flu, Newcastle disease, and West Nile virus were negative. Toxicology results are still being interpreted since normal levels for this species are not readily available for comparison.
Although she did not survive, she has provided an invaluable learning experience that will save the lives of future wayward seabirds and other exceptional patients.
Around the time she and the limpkin were admitted, "rare bird alerts" were popping up across the Midwest. Extreme weather patterns and changing climate will bring more unexpected visitors. Many of these birds will be healthy enough to remain in the wild, but those unlucky enough to encounter a car, a building, or other perils will need a helping hand.
