THE Centre for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) today said they were treating a black-headed heron after it partially collided with an aircraft.
The wildlife rehabilitation centre said on its Facebook page that the wading bird was brought to them by King Shaka International Airport staff members who rescued it from the runway.
“It is presumed it had been clipped by an aircraft. The heron lost its main flight feathers on its right wing, which caused the bird to become grounded and therefore unable to fly. It will be kept at our centre until its feathers have grown back, which will take approximately six weeks. Luckily there were no further injuries and it is alive and doing well,” they said.
The top image shows the heron’s right wing with missing flight feathers. The bottom image is the heron’s left wing with all its feathers. Photo supplied.
The black-headed heron is known as the Swartkopreier in Afrikaans and the uNokilonki in Zulu. It has a wingspan of 150cm.
Shiraz has been a community journalist for the last 12 years and has a specific interest in everything sports. He holds a Bachelor of Arts undergrad degree and honours degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal where he majored in Communications, Anthropology and English.
