u/LilyBKPJackaffe

We have an adult magpie who’s been in our garden for over 24 hours now, and something seems off with him.

I first noticed him yesterday while picking up fallen apricots. He was sitting on the ground about a foot away from me, and I didn’t even see him until I reached for an apricot right near him. A healthy magpie would normally have flown off long before I got that close. He did eventually fly up to a grapevine, but only once I got even closer.

**•**	He can fly, but only short distances, and it’s not graceful. It’s more labored than a healthy magpie.  
**•**	He can walk/hop, but again, not smooth or effortless. One wing sometimes comes out like he’s using it for balance.  
**•**	He’s missing some feathers around one eye and generally looks a bit rough/disheveled.  
**•**	He’s spent a lot of time just resting (on the ground in the mint, tucked into a narrow gap between a wall and a planter, sitting still on a log pile) rather than moving around the way our other resident magpies do.  
**•**	At times he’s looked a bit puffed up.  
**•**	He can still fully extend both wings, so nothing looks obviously broken.

We do have other magpies that regularly visit and eat the apricots, cherries, etc. in our garden, so I’m confident there’s no shortage of food for him if he’s able to eat normally. I’m mainly wondering:

**•**	Should I be doing anything differently in the meantime (shelter, water, etc.)?  
**•**	Is there anything in his behavior that points to a specific issue (something people have seen before)?  
**•**	Any tips for keeping him safe from cats/other predators while we wait to hear back from wildlife rescue?