Hi Markie,

Speaking from experience the Song Sparrow (SOSP) would not be able to fly
out of the water if it could not get its legs on something to push off of.
I was banding at my station at a marsh and nearby was a section with slow
flowing water, about 1 m deep. After banding the SOSP I let it go, it ended
up in the water about half way out. I waited and saw that it could not get
out so I got in the water to try and rescue it. It started to swim by using
its wings like paddles but could not get up to fly. It swam to the opposite
shore away from me (they do float well). Once it reached the shore it
hopped up on the bank and shook itself dry quickly seeking shelter in the
grass.

In another incident I watched a Bald Eagle swooping around over a river
looking for a meal. After diving for it, the eagle got stuck in the water.
It too swam using its wings as paddles to the shore of the river. As it got
out of the water I saw that it had captured a large salmon (which was dead
at that time probably due to being impaled by its talons).

I do know for a fact that if they do not get to land quickly they can drown
because the SOSP seemed to be dipping its mouth in the water a lot. It
seems that passerines can swim in water but for short distances and cannot
fly out of it when they are wet.

Libor
-----Original Message-----
From: Markie <markie at micronet.net>
To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: March 10, 1998 1:37 PM
Subject: Birds & swimming


This subject came up the other day and I haven't been able to find any
info in my readings...hope it isn't THAT silly a question, but here
goes:

Suppose a bird like a robin or sparrow (we were actually discussing
parrots) miscalculated, or perhaps got distracted by some attractive
bird of the opposite sex, and made a nice landing in the middle of a
lake rather than terra firma. Let's assume the bird is healthy. Would it
swim (and how would it manage to do that) or fly away (would it be able
to fly from the water's surface)? Any ideas on the outcome?

thanx
markie