Wee, Y. C. & L. K. Wang, 2009. Observations on the in-captivity development of a rescued chick of the striated heron, Butorides striatus (Linnaeus). Nature in Singapore 2: 193-202.
Download PDF HERE.
You may recollect that the chick of the Little Heron (Butorides striatus), also known as Striated Heron, was picked up by a concerned member of the public and handed over to me in November 2007 to care for. If you are interested in the series, click HERE to view the 12th part – where you can locate all the earlier parts. If you are interested in reading the scientific account, get the PDF (see above).
The grown chick was eventually released. There is a good chance that it may have been predated, as the parents were not around to teach it to look for food, to recognise members of its own species, to avoid prey, etc.
When anyone next finds a “helpless” chick wandering on the ground calling for its parents, perhaps the best thing to do is return it to the nest or place it above ground, away from cats and dogs and possibly being trampled by passersby. Its parents will always be around and come to its rescue…
YC Wee
Singapore
May 2009
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