Over the years I have seen several Mapgies with injuries to their beaks. Usually this is an upper mandible completely broken off at the base.
1. How do they do this?
2. What happens, does the beak regrow, can they survive? The ones I have seen haven’t seemed to be starving, and one I observed for a few weeks and it didn’t decline during that time.
Hi John & Gary,
I’ve come across them with increasing frequency over the years and have only ever seen the bill grow back once. I’ve seen a couple of birds where the break is to both upper and lower and right back to the bone. I was told by my wildlife vet I that the problem is caused by a dietary deficiency (lack of calcium) but I’d like to know, if this isn’t just supposition, what the full story is.
Alex Randell ________________________________________ Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:49 AM
Hi John
We have a magpie which frequents our yard with only half of the top mandible. It appears to be in peak condition and has been with us for at least a year, perhaps longer. I assumed that it had been caused by deficiency in diet when young, but that was only a guess.
Gary
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Hi John
We have a magpie which frequents our yard with only half of the top mandible. It appears to be in peak condition and has been with us for at least a year, perhaps longer. I assumed that it had been caused by deficiency in diet when young, but that was only a guess.
Gary
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