Lovesick Bird Finds New Mate At National Aviary

[Kadie]

Lovesick Bird Finds New Mate At National Aviary
February 9, 2011 8:15 PM


PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It’s a story of love lost – and found again.
It starts with Skippy, a black-necked stilt from Mexico.

“Mr. and Mrs. Skippy were actually an extraordinary couple,” National Aviary Veterinarian Dr. Pilar Fish said. “They did everything together.”

But Skippy’s mate became ill and died.

“Skippy cried – he mourned so much that he cried,” Dr. Fish said. “He stopped eating, he stopped grooming himself and he became incredibly weak because he was mourning so much.”
Dr. Fish brought the now 23-year-old bird to the Aviary hospital. That’s when he saw a picture on the wall.

“We haven’t really thought about the mural because it was there for several years, but Skippy saw the portrait of Mrs. Skippy on the bottom of the mural and he started talking to her and sat right next to her,” she said.

more...
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/02/09/heartbroken-bird-finds-new-love-at-national-aviary/



Skippy
Skippy, a 23-year-old black-necked stilt is seen behind the bars of its enclosure as he looks out from in front of a painting of his mate that is part of a mural in his enclosure on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, at the veterinary hospital of the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. According to Dr.Pilar Fish, the Aviary's director of medicine, he was taken to the hospital area a few years ago after the death of his mate. Skippy’s condition had suddenly declined. He wouldn’t eat, he stopped grooming, and appeared depressed. They took the stilt to the hospital area for tests. After that exam, the bird, then 21, was placed on the floor to rest. When the staff heard Skippy vocalizing, they realized the mural with a variety of the Aviary’s birds, including the female stilt, had caught its attention. He was offered food in front of the painting and started to eat again. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)


Skippy
Skippy, a 23-year-old black-necked stilt looks at a painting of his mate that is part of a mural in his enclosure on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, at the veterinary hospital at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. According to Dr. Pilar Fish, the Aviary's director of medicine, he was taken to the hospital area a few years ago after the death of his mate. Skippy’s condition had suddenly declined. He wouldn’t eat, he stopped grooming, and appeared depressed. The stilt went to the hospital area for tests. After that exam, the bird, then 21, was placed on the floor to rest. When the staff heard Skippy vocalizing, they realized the mural with a variety of the Aviary’s birds, including the female stilt, had caught its attention. He was offered food in front of the painting and started to eat again.(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)