Paint can be harmful to crows if, for example, the plumage no longer insulates the cold enough because of it. If the birds are dyed in distress, it is an animal protection crime.
Passersby wondered about the apparitions on the tree in Eira on Monday. Several crows dyed red sat on the branch.
Spokesperson for Birdlife Finland Jan Södersved had not heard of similar findings. According to him, the pictures clearly show a discolored crow. However, he cannot answer how the birds could have been colored.
According to him, the birds could not have been colored by their food. He quickly comes up with two options: either someone has painted the birds on purpose or they could have accidentally painted themselves on a construction site, for example.
“Crows are very curious and wise birds. By examining everything possible, they may have become discolored,” he speculates.
The birds could also be painted by spraying, for example. According to Södersved, if someone has dyed the birds out of embarrassment, it is an animal protection crime.
Of the dyed Birds are occasionally reported to Birdlife, Södersved says. According to him, colored magpies have been reported several times. According to him, magpies are also curious birds that can and do happen to them.
He has also heard of painted pigeons. Of such a case HS news in spring. Several blue-pink pigeons were observed in Helsinki and Vantaa at that time.
According to Södersved, domesticated pigeons are painted all over the world in the name of pigeon hobby. Birds are used, for example, in orienteering competitions and are colored to make them recognizable.
On the other hand, he doesn’t remember hearing about dyed crows.
“It is very rare. I don’t remember a single case where wild birds were dyed out of sheer embarrassment.”
It, how much harm paint is to crows depends on its quality. If the paint stains the plumage so that the bird cannot maintain it, its general condition may deteriorate. If, for example, the plumage no longer insulates the cold in the same way, the crow’s thermoregulation may deteriorate.
A crow dyed red also stands out better. According to Södersved, it is at least theoretically possible that the enemies of colored crows pay more attention to them and eventually catch them. According to him, city crows don’t have many other enemies besides chicken hawks.
If the color stuck to the crow’s feet is water soluble, it will wear off over time. If it is not water soluble, the color may not come off until the bird molts. Then the color can stay in the crow for a long time.
If you notice a discolored bird on a run, there is no need to intervene if the bird appears to be alive. Södersved interprets from the pictures that Eira’s birds are like that.
Sick and injured animals, on the other hand, must be taken care of.
If you know something about red crows, tell [email protected].
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