Courtesy Northsong Wild Bird
Rehabilitation
When wild birds are admitted to
Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation,
they are usually hurt in some way.
Some patients have been hit by a car,
some have lost their parents and need
help, and others have wounds or cuts
from predators, such as cats! The
medical team at Northsong works
hard to help every bird. They often
have to run different tests to figure
out exactly what is wrong with each
bird and how bad their injuries are.
One test that Northsong regularly
uses is a radiograph.
Have you ever broken a bone? If
you did, the doctor probably took
an X-ray. The medical term for an
X-ray is a radiograph. Using a special
machine, the doctor sent a beam of
radiation, called an X-ray, through
your body to create a picture of the
bones and organs inside your body.
How cool is that?
Medical teams can use radiographs
to tell if people and animals have
broken bones. The doctor and
rehabilitators at Northsong look
closely at their patients' radiographs
to see if any bones are cracked or
broken all the way through, and if all
the bones are still in line with each
other like they're supposed to be.
Sometimes their patients' broken
bones can be fixed with a cast, just
like people! Other times, the birds
need to have surgery because the
radiograph shows that some of their
bones are in the wrong place. After
the doctor finishes the surgery,
another radiograph is taken to make
sure the bones are aligned correctly.
In the world of medicine,
radiographs are a very cool window
into the body. Look at and study the
radiographs of a healthy bird's wing,
then practice finding the breaks in
some of the other images!
give me
a break:
Introducing
radiographs
photo
by Quin
Warsaw
case 3:
These radiographs are
from two different
birds of prey. Can you
find the broken bones?
What do you think is
the bright white object
in each image?
"Best Friends"
4363 W Wedington Dr. • Fayetteville • 479-444-6600
www.WedingtonAnimalHospital.com
7:30am-10pm Monday-Friday • 9am-5pm Saturday & Sunday
"Best Friends"
... make thE
case studies
normal
raDIograph:
Study this normal
radiograph of a bird's
wing and then try your
eye at finding broken
bones!
case 2:
This radiograph is from
a Great horned Owl
who was found on the
side of the road! Do
you see a break? What
do you think could have
happened to this owl?
(answer: bullet. these birds both
suffered from gunshot injuries)
30 • may 2023 • www.officialkidsmag.com
