When an injured baby mockingbird first arrived at Austin Wildlife Rescue (AWR), he was definitely a little grumpy. A well-meaning dog had scooped him up and carried him around in her mouth for a while, and when the pup’s family managed to free the bird, they noticed he had a wound on his foot. It was clear he wasn’t having the best time, and his rescuers did everything they could to get him settled in and comfortable.
“Even though he came in alone, he was immediately placed in a large incubator with other mockingbirds his same age,” Kathryn Mattison, animal operations and outreach manager at AWR, told The Dodo.
Everyone at AWR strives to provide top-notch care to every animal who comes through their doors. This mockingbird in particular seemed to have very high standards — especially when it came to food.
The rescued birds at AWR are offered a wide variety of menu choices, including fresh insects, bird seed and a dish they call bird chow, which is a blended mix of moistened cat food, fresh fruits, veggies, eggs and added calcium and vitamins. Bird chow is usually a well-loved favorite amongst the guests — but as it turned out, this mockingbird was a bit of a food critic.
“I was actually working in our songbird nursery this particular day, so I was also the so-called chef that created this concoction of bird chow,” Mattison said. “As soon as I proudly handed over the platter of bird chow and saw this mockingbird’s face, I knew this was not to his liking. I should have known by the color and texture of this batch of bird chow that this wasn’t mockingbird-level food. Needless to say, I have learned my lesson.”
Stunned and amused by the mockingbird’s pickiness, Mattison whipped up a new batch of bird chow that was in line with the bird’s very high culinary standards. Thankfully, the new dish was a success.
“Our food critic was much more impressed with his new and improved batch of bird chow,” Mattison said. “He was joined by four other birds and gobbled it down, asking for more.”
The chef has since learned her lesson and makes sure to keep the culinary standards high for the group of picky mockingbirds, especially their leader. He’s eating and growing well, and will be released as soon as he’s strong enough.