Do you have freshly warmed tortillas in your emergency survival kit? They could come in handy, as one Texas family found out earlier this month when they used one to help an orphaned baby bird.
Katie Adlong of Amarillo, Texas, found the fuzzy white ball, later identified as a Mississippi Kite, near her backyard on July 13, she told newswire Storyful.
Home surveillance camera footage shows Adlong and a friend taking a meandering walk around her yard as two men cook on the grill, warming up tortillas. Soon after, Adlong and her friend come rushing back with Adlong cupping something in her hand.
Adlong said she noticed the baby bird on the ground and couldn't see any signs of a parent or adult birds nearby. Concerned that the chick may get cold, Adlong came up with a clever solution.
“My husband and friends were grilling, so I told him to hand me a tortilla," she told Storyful. "I wrapped her in a warm tortilla to keep her warm while we waited for the wildlife people to arrive."
The camera footage shows Adlong doing just that, gently placing the tiny ball of downy feathers into the center of a freshly warmed white tortilla and wrapping it around the little body.
Knowing the little bird would need help from experts, the family called Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
"Rehabber Christy managed the call and inquired if they had already placed it in a box, to which they responded, 'We wrapped him in a warm tortilla,'" the center posted on its Facebook page. "There was a significant silence on Christy’s side. Following this and a little concerned, she quickly ended the call and arranged for a transporter."
Another rehabber soon arrived on location and was "welcomed by a friendly family holding a baby Mississippi Kite wrapped in a tortilla," the post continued, punctuated with a laughing emoji.
While a grilled tortilla is not a typical source of heat for growing baby birds, Wild West Wildlife said it proved an effective method for helping the orphaned bird, which they promptly and aptly named Taquito.
"Undoubtedly, it was an inventive method to keep the baby warm, and surprisingly, it was effective," the rehab center said on Facebook.
In an update posted on Wednesday, the center said Taquito was "thriving" with help from the team of rehabbers providing round-the-clock care, including feedings every two hours from sun up to sun down.
She is maintaining a healthy appetite and is expected to remain under the care of the rehab team for approximately two months. The center has taken to selling "Tortillas Save Lives" T-shirts to help cover the cost of Taquito's care and the care of other wildlife at the rehab.
