Rare Gouldian Finch which fell from a nest is saved by students and reared back to health using a tiny paint brush to feed it - and the 'sassy' bird is now 'very happy' among college's animal collection
- The bird was saved by students at Duchy College Rosewarne in Cornwall
A Gouldian Finch which almost died after falling from its nest has been nursed back to health by students and college staff who fed the chick with a tiny paint brush.
The baby bird, named Jester, was rescued by students at Duchy College Rosewarne in Cornwall.
The newly-hatched chick weighed just 1.4 grams when it was found on the ground alongside another baby finch that had not survived the fall.
Jester, who now weighs 24 grams, has made a made a full recovery and the 'very happy' animal spends her days entertaining students and getting in trouble.
Gouldian Finches, which are native to Australia, are kept in state-of-the-art aviaries at the college's extensive bird collection.
The Gouldian Finch, called Jester, has made a full recovery after felling out of her nest
Katrina Sullivan, 46, (pictured) fed the Gouldian Finch every 30 minutes in the first three weeks of her recovery
The chick weighed just 1.4 grams when she was discovered by students at Duchy College Rosewarne in Cornwall
The Gouldian Finch had to be fed every hour for weeks while growing
The dramatic recovery came after students at the college in Camborne noticed the two baby birds on the ground.
Although it was clear that one of the newly-hatched chicks had not survived, Jester started to show slight signs of life after warming up in the hands of a technician.
At first the tiny finch had to be fed with a fine tip paintbrush that had been dipped in formula and painted on her mouth.
Katrina Sullivan, 46, Head Technician for Animal Management at the college, said: 'The students noticed two baby birds on the floor, and as the bird specialist, they came running to me.
The rare bird now weighs 24 grams and has made a full recovery
The rare bird was nursed back to health after showing slight signs of life
The technician was not sure the rare bird would survive after she finding it on the ground
'They were newly hatched chicks that had been thrown from the nest. I could immediately see that one of them was dead as they didn't have a blood supply to the brain but the other one did.
'I didn't think the other one would last long. I warmed it up in my hands but when it started to move around I took it back to the office and put it in an incubator.
'Its colour went back to pink and when she took her first feed we realised she was a fighter so we decided to hand rear her.'
For the first three days, Ms Sullivan fed Jester every 30 minutes using the fine tip paint brush, before continuing to feed her every hour for the following weeks.
'It was very intense at first. It was a lot of work,' she said. 'She's always been strong but she did get very poorly at 8 days and I thought we might lose her, but she pulled through.
Gouldian Finches, which are native to Australia, are considered to be 'near threatened'
The 'sassy' finch now spends her time getting in trouble and entertaining students
She is described as 'very happy' and reportedly loves 'biscuits and crisps'
'At around seven days she opened her eyes and her feathers started to peek through. She started to eat on her own at four weeks and has been getting better ever since.'
The 'beautiful' red-headed, lavender-breasted Gouldian is now a favourite among staff and students.
Jester, who now weighs a healthy 24g, has since met all of her development milestones and spends her days flying around entertaining pupils.
'We named her Jester because she's such an entertainer. She's always throwing things around and getting into trouble.
'She's definitely a favourite but as she's so small everyone has to be extra careful as she'll get under your feet.
'She's a very happy bird but she's also got a sassy attitude. She loves biscuits and crisps so if you're eating a biscuit she'll cry and sit on you.
'Conservation wise, she's near threatened. We're grateful we've been able to hand rear her back to a healthy, happy bird.
