Endangered bird that should be in Mexico by now found in Vancouver garage
A tiny bird thet should be south for the winter by now is getting a helping hand from a local rescue organization.
The Wildlife Rescue Association of BC (WRA) shared a release on Thursday, December 13, announcing that it has rescued an “incredibly rare Prothonotary Warbler.”
The organization says the bird has only been spotted in BC a handful of times before and never in the winter. After it was seen flying into a South Vancouver parking garage, there were concerns for its health, and experts from the WRA’s rescue team retrieved it from the garage.
Wildlife Rescue Support Centre Manager Jackie McQuillan said the “Prothonotary Warbler is an accidental species in BC, meaning it isnāt normally found in the area.ā
Melissa Hafting
āItās a migratory species that summers in Ontario and Quebec, and it should be in the Gulf of Mexico or even South America right now. We donāt know how it got here, but as it is an endangered species, its condition is a highly sensitive matter.ā
WRA says that the warbler wouldn’t survive the winter in the wild, but it’s also possible that it won’t be able to survive the plane ride to its usual wintering grounds.
Now, the organization will carefully monitor it to help it have the best chance of survival.
“The warbler is currently stable and Wildlife Rescueās intent is to keep it in care over the winter and release it to join a flock of local warbler species when they return to the region in spring,” said the organization.
If you want to help support the non-profit WRA, you can donate and support wildlife on their website. The organization cares for more than 6,000 injured, orphaned, and pollution-damaged wild animals each year.
WRA will likely need to get specialized food and equipment to help ensure the warbler’s survival.
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