Morepork found outside Wellington cafe needs neurological exam

Vets at Wellington Zoo's animal hospital The Nest Te Kōhanga have carried out checks and tests on the hurt bird. Photo / Supplied

A ruru bird found sitting dazed outside a central Wellington cafe must go through a neurological exam after possibly flying into a window or being hit by a car.

The morepork was picked up by Forest and Bird customer care co-ordinator Tania Urner yesterday morning.

She found the bird sitting on the pavement outside Lido Cafe on Victoria St, with a group of concerned people gathered around wondering what to do with it.

Forest and Bird took the ruru to Wellington Zoo's animal hospital, The Nest Te Kōhanga, but vets were unable to find out what was wrong with it in an initial examination.

Forest and Bird rescued the bird from a central Wellington footpath before taking it to Wellington Zoo for care. Photo / Supplied

Today, senior vet Baukje Lenting said the ruru was put under a short anaesthetic so X-rays and blood tests could be done.

The vet doing the exam did not find any broken bones, but did find bruising on the side of the bird's head around the ear canal.

"That seems to suggest, as well as his behaviour when he was found, that the most likely diagnosis is head trauma," Lenting said.

Head trauma is common in this species, though Lenting was not sure why, though it could have something to do with the way they fly, their behaviour, or the size of their heads in relation to their bodies.

It was likely the trauma had happened because the ruru flew into a window or got hit by a car, but she could not say for certain.

The bird was sitting on the footpath surrounded by people, which is unusual behaviour for ruru, vet Baukje Lenting said. Photo / Supplied

"The next steps for him from here is that with head trauma we want to make sure there's been no damage to the central nervous system."

The vets will carry out a neurological exam to check the bird's reflexes, and will test how well it is flying. Then they will decide the best care for it, and whether it needs to stay at The Nest Te Kōhanga for longer.

If the public find injured native wildlife they can bring them to The Nest Te Kōhanga.

Introduced species should be taken to the SPCA.