Rook fledgling Malcolm arrived in our sanctuary in June 2018. We took over his care from another wildlife rescue, which asked us for advice and help. Malcolm did not thrive and develop as expected, became very poorly and quite distressingly did not stop to call for his parents and siblings. Our admission assessment revealed that Malcolm was blind, and therefore struggled to find his place in this new strange noisy human world of a wildlife rescue. Our veterinary surgeon confirmed that for reasons unknown Malcolm has suffered an almost complete retina detachment in both eyes. Over time we figured out that Malcolm can recognise light, but not more than that. This also explained his constant calling, as Malcolm struggled to adapt to his situation. He was simply frightened, and completely and utterly confused.

We immediately started to create a safe environment for him, where he could feel safe and was able to learn to navigate by himself. He responded quite quickly to our voices and to gentle touch. Already the next day he had calmed down and started to settle in very well. He soon began to explore his new home and learned also quickly to find his way round. Weaning Malcolm took somewhat longer than that of fully sighted birds, but it did not take Malcolm too long to feed, drink and bath without us interfering or helping. Malcom does not live in an outdoor aviary, but he lives in a specially designed indoor aviary in a bird room with outdoor access, shared with other birds including rooks. He loves the interaction with people he knows well and with other familiar birds. But he also enjoys the familiarity and safety of his own home, where he may sit and take a bath in the sun, whilst talking and chatting for hours with himself, us or other birds nearby.

• Caring for Temporarily and Permanently Disabled Birds
• How to Care for Visually Impaired Birds
• Corvid Aviary Design And Enrichment