AVENTURA, FLA. (WSVN) - - A South Florida family is trying to help three white birds after finding them perched on a tree branch outside their apartment, barely moving and not eating.
Marina Navarro said she spotted the birds on Thursday. “It seems like they’re really uncomfortable there,” she told 7News on Frdiay afternoon. “I mean, look at them. They’re just sitting on that branch, and it’s been like that for 24 hours.”
Navarro said she will stop at nothing to make sure the birds stay alive. “They’re just scared,” she said.
The Aventura resident said her 9-year-old son Maddox saw a woman dropping off the birds outside her complex and leaving. “That’s why I’m trying to do everything possible to make sure that I can help them,” she said.
Navarro said they haven’t eaten in over a day and have hardly moved. She tried to feed the birds by putting a slice of bread on a wooden stick and holding it up to their branch, to no avail. “I feel bad for them,” she said.
Navarro later sent pictures of the birds to local rescue groups. “They said those look like wedding doves, for happiness, and that sure is not a happy situation here,” said Navarro. “They look pretty scared.”
Experts said the animals are actually white king pigeons.
“They’ve been staying on that tree,” said Maddox as he stared out his bedroom window.
Maddox said he and his little brother have been watching the birds ever since they were dropped off. “Their stomachs are quite small, and they are small, and they might be hungry right now,” said Maddox.
Friday afternoon, Danielle Hernandez from South Florida Bird Lovers Club came to the Navarros’ apartment complex. She said they were likely someone’s domestic pets, and they need to get down from the tree soon.
“They probably won’t last very long out here on their own,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez said she will come back on Saturday with additional volunteers and equipment to retrieve the birds. “Well, a ladder and some backup, some assistance. Maybe somebody could help me climb up this tree to get them,” she said.
In the meantime, the Navarros are hoping the feathered trio to get singing and flying again. “They look like they’ve been inside a house since they were babies,” said Maddox. “You shouldn’t have left them out into the wild.”
Experts said king pigeons are typically domesticated animals and lack the muscle capacity to move or fly a lot, which is why they’re perched up on that branch.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.