Kelleigh Farr
Lower Truro, NS, Canada
This is an image of a Chickadee that has been roosting in an old stump that was by my window every night. I was outside this morning and found him dead at the base of it. He had one missing leg (which looked like it healed over a long time ago) and didn’t look like he was caught by something. I am thinking he either died of old age, or infection, due to his missing leg. Any suggestions as to what happened?
Species: Black-capped Chickadee
If the chickadee was near the window it could have crashed into the window and died.
That’s what I thought. But his body was 12 or so feet away. I’ve had a few hit a window before, and they always fell fight below it (every one of them surviving and later flying away). As indicated in the image, he had a lot of white trimming on his feathers, which indicates old age. Also, I thought he lost a leg; but it was tucked up, leaving only his leg joint visible. Also, there were no signs of trauma.