Now I have seen many an odd thing in my day — but boots for a sparrow? Why, I never thought I’d see the day.
Alas, a young song sparrow in our care needed some corrective footwear to prevent his feet from curling inwards. We believe the bird has a genetic growth deformity where his feet and toes are bending in, preventing him from perching. Perching is essential to a songbird’s survival in the wild — they must be able to wrap their toes around tree branches where they live and fly to to escape predators. Sometimes they use their toes to hold seeds while they peck the seeds apart with their beak.
So we fitted the sparrow with boots that hold his feet flat. We hope the sparrow’s boots will in time help uncurl his feet and prevent further damage, allowing him to return to the wild (sans boots, of course).
Are you ready boots? Start walking!