Expert: Roger Lederer - 5/15/2008

Question
I have two questions:  My cat (who can only go in the back yard-- we have a "fence-in" system)brought a bird in our house. It was crying loudly, and I was able to put it in the front yard, where it flew away.  I am trying to identify it:  I live in Albuquerque, NM -- the bird's entire body was a dark or forest green and it's head was a orangish red color.  I don't think it has any other colors.  I think I have seen them high in the trees -- if it is the same bird, it has a tale with a "scoop" like the finch and sounds similar to the barn swallow.  Do you know what kind of bird this is?  I have scoured the web and cannot find it.  Also-- I read on one website that any bird my cat brings in (that is then rescued by me) and is apparently unharmed dies within 24 hours due to a bacteria carried by my cat-- is this true?  Thanks so much for your time!

Answer
I'm afraid I can't identify the bird by the information you provided. Any other information  - like shape of beak, length of tail, or other colors would be helpful. Are you sure it is not a Barn Swallow? But I can't think of a bird that matches your description. If your cat did not break the skin of the bird, or even if it did bite the bird a bit, it is unlikely that the cat passed on any bacteria that would kill the bird so quickly. Birds die from trauma and injury when they are caught by cats, not by bacteria.