Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Yet another victim of improperly-discarded fishing gear.

This Yellow-billed Cuckoo is yet another reminder of the hidden dangers that discarded fishing gear poses to our native wildlife.

Cuckoos are known for their stealthy habits and their appetite for large, hairy caterpillars – critters that many other birds won’t touch. But this particular cuckoo mistook an artificial caterpillar-like fishing lure for a real meal.

Drawn in by what looked like an easy snack, the bird instead found itself impaled. The fishing hook passed through the throat and exited near the beak, causing pain, distress, and adding an extra 10 grams to a body built for lightness and speed – enough to severely hinder its ability to fly and feed.

Once admitted to our hospital, the cuckoo was given pain medications, fluids, and antibiotics to stabilize.

Under anesthesia, our veterinary team removed the embedded hook and surgically repaired two dangerous lacerations on the neck—wounds that lay alarmingly close to major blood vessels.

Improperly discarded fishing line, hooks, and artificial lures are a constant threat to birds, turtles, mammals, and other wild animals. These items don’t just disappear – they linger in the environment for years, waiting for an unlucky creature to cross their path.

If you fish, please do everything you can to retrieve lost gear and dispose of it properly.

And if you’re out hiking, paddling, or enjoying time near the water, keep an eye out for litter that could pose a threat to our wild neighbors. Even if it’s not yours – cleaning it up helps protect animals like this cuckoo from suffering a similar fate.

Wildlife needs all of us to do our part. A clean shoreline isn’t just beautiful – it’s lifesaving.

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