The vets and nurses at Blanchardstown Vets were presented with an unusual patient on Tuesday: an injured Buzzard.

Buzzards are medium-sized birds of prey that feed on small animals and birds. They will also scavenge on carion (dead animal carcasses) which can make them susceptible to being hit by cars or other road vehicles. Unfortunately that seems likely to be the case with the Buzzard we were presented with – he was in very poor condition and had visible injuries to one wing.

An X-ray was taken that confirmed our worst fears – there was a severe comminuted fracture of the wing just above the elbow joint. Unfortunately  this fracture, along with other soft tissue injuries, meant that the buzzard had to be humanely euthanased. This is always a difficult thing to have to do, especially with such a small population of Buzzards in Ireland – it is thought that there might be as few as 150 breeding pairs in the Republic of Ireland. For more information on Buzzards and other Irish birds of prey check out the website of the Golden Eagle Trust – www.goldeneagle.ie

An interesting thing to note is that the bird had previously fractured one of its legs which had since healed, but at an angle. Can you spot the fractures on the X-ray below?