Diseases that call for swift action

FEW illnesses in the bird world are as upsetting as botulism. Perfectly healthy birds can become poorly and die swiftly, often inside 24 hours.

The first sign of this illness is loss of wing power, with the bird struggling to get on the perch. Then it can lift off the ground less and less and eventually becomes grounded.

Loss of power in the legs is the next sign. You then have a bird with no wing or leg power. The head still moves, as does the beak, and often the bird