Swans and geese often float or
swim with a foot lying along their backs.
It looks extremely odd but is quite normal.
They can even sleep with the head tucked under the wing while standing
on one
leg.
If they really do have a broken leg they will be using their wings to
help them
balance as they hop about on land.
They need to be hand fed until they come close enough to be caught but
this
takes time and patience.
They can be difficult to catch as they will tend to fly away when
approached.
Adult, injured wing
Geese, especially Canada Geese,
are often hatched with a condition called 'Aeroplane wing' or 'Angel
wing'.
This means the 'wrist' joint can't bring the wing feathers around to
lie flat
against the body and a few stick out at an angle.
The condition mainly affects one wing but a few cases have been seen
where both
wings were affected.
'Aeroplane wing' means that the bird can't fly but will otherwise lead
a normal
life.
Only call for help if the bird has blood on the feathers or has a wing
dragging
on the ground.
Have you seen the rest of the
family?
Sometimes one or two get separated from the flock but will be accepted
back if
the main group can be found.
If you can catch it, put it in a box lined with newspaper with a small
bowl of river
or pond water to drink
until the rest of the family reappears or is found.
If the bird is an orphan, or the family cannot be located, it will have
to go
to a rescue centre for rearing.
Emergency feeding: pond or river water in a shallow bowl
and
crumbled, wet brown bread.
Can you get near enough to catch
it?
By the time a rescue centre helper gets to the area it could well have
swum
away out of sight, so try and lure it close
enough to catch if possible, then wait for help or find a box and take
it to a
rescue centre yourself.