Glossary

Acute. Happens suddenly.

Altricial. Bird hatched in helpless condition, usually naked, eyes closed, cared for by parents in nest (examples: robin, raptors, and herons).

Anemia. Low number of red blood cells; characterized by weakness and pale mucus membranes.

Anesthesia. Insensibility to pain induced by drugs.

Anorexia. Lack of appetite.

Antiseptics. Chemical agents applied to living tissue (such as wounds) to prevent growth of microorganisms.

Apnea. Cessation of breathing.

Aspiration. Inhalation of fluid into bronchi and lungs.

Ataxia. Uncoordinated movements, off balance.

Bactericide. Chemical agents that kill bacteria.

BID. Twice daily; every 12 hours.

Brancher. (slang) Young bird not fully fledged, out of nest hopping on branches.

Brood. Number of birds hatched from single clutch of eggs; also, to provide warmth and shelter for young birds.

Bumblefoot. (slang) Foot lesions in birds.

Carapace. The dorsal shell (top) of a turtle.

Carnivore. Flesh-eating animal.

Carrion. Dead and decaying animals.

Cast. Undigested parts of prey (hair, bones, claws, teeth, etc.) eaten by raptors, which are regurgitated in the form of pellets (see pellet); can also be used as a verb.

Cere. Fleshy base of upper mandible in some birds (example: raptors, pigeons).

Cestodes. Flatworm parasite (example: tapeworms).

Chronic. Continuing a long time.

Chronic wasting disease. An untreatable and fatal brain and nervous system disease found in deer, elk and moose

Closed fracture. When the bone at the fracture site has not broken through the skin.

Clutch. The number of eggs laid in a single nesting.

CNS. Central nervous system.

Comminuted fracture. When the bone at the fracture site is splintered into more than two pieces.

Conspecifics. Other individuals of the same species.

Coprophagy. Ingestion of feces; this is normal and necessary in rabbits and some rodents.

Crepuscular. Refers to animals which are most active around dusk and dawn.

Crop. An enlargement of the esophagus in the neck area in some species of birds.

Cyanotic. Bluish/purple color of mucus membranes due to low oxygen levels in the blood.

Dehydration. Deprived of water or fluids.

Disinfectants. Chemical agents applied to inanimate objects or surfaces to kill disease causing microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and at least some viruses.

Distal. Away from the center of the body; (Example: distal fracture of the femur, fracture occurs in section of femur farthest from the hip).

Diurnal. Animals which are most active during the daylight hours.

Dorsal. Pertaining to, or situated on, the back.

Ectoparasite. Parasite found on the outside of the body.

Edema. Swelling or thickening of tissues caused by fluid leaking from blood vessels.

Emaciated. Thin, starved.

Endoparasite. Internal parasites (most types of worms, protozoa).

Enteric. Pertaining to the intestines or gastrointestinal tract.

Epidemic. Rapid spread or increase in prevalence of a disease through an animal population.

Ethology. The study of the behavior of animals.

Euthanize. The act of putting to death in a manner that ensures rapid loss of consciousness and minimizes pain and suffering.

Fever. Elevation in body temperature due to disease.

Fledgling. A baby bird that has matured sufficiently to leave the nest; however, it still may not be able to fly.

Fungicide. Chemical agents that kill fungi.

Gavage. Force feeding through a flexible tube placed down the esophagus.

Germicide. A broad term applied to chemical agents that kill microorganisms.

Gestation. Time period from conception to birth of young mammals.

GI. Referring to the gastrointestinal tract through which food passes.

Gizzard. Muscular portion of stomach in birds; food is ground up here.

Glottis. Opening to the trachea.

Habitat. The native environment of an animal.

Hacking. Soft (slow) release technique for returning animals to the wild (often used for raptors).

Hatchling. A newly hatched baby bird.

HBC. Hit by car.

Hemorrhage. Bleeding (usually refers to profuse bleeding).

Herbivore. Animals that feed on plants.

Hyper. More than normal.

Hyperthermia. Having an abnormally elevated body temperature, usually from being kept in too warm an environment and not being able to cool itself adequately; not the same as fever.

Hypo. Less than normal.

Hypothermia. Having an abnormally low temperature, such animals should be warmed before any food is given.

Hypovolemic. Abnormally low blood volume.

Immature. Usually refers to animals which are old enough to be independent of their parents, but not yet old enough to reproduce.

Imping. Replacement of damaged feathers with undamaged feathers by rehabilitator.

Imprinting. Process usually occurring early in a bird's life in which the bird learns to identify and relate to its parental species.

Incubation. The action of warming eggs to the temperature necessary for embryo development.

IO. Abbreviation for intra-osseous, meaning within a bone.

IV. Abbreviation for intra venous, meaning into or within a vein.

Juvenile. Young bird out of the nest and able to care for itself but has not completed its post-juvenal molt.

Kcal. (kilocalorie, or Calorie). An energy unit equivalent to 1000 calories (the Calorie on most food labels refers to Calories = Kcal).

Keel. The protruding part of a bird's breastbone (sternum) to which the large flight muscles attach. Large Mammal: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), American black bear (Ursus americanus), or moose (Alces alces).

Large Mammal. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), American black bear (Ursus americanus), or moose (Alces alces).

Lateral. Denotes a position towards the side of the body.

Litter. A group of young mammals born together.

Marsupial. Pouched mammals (kangaroo, opossum, etc.).

Medial. Situated towards the midline of the body.

Nares. Nostrils.

Necropsy. Autopsy or post mortem, examination of the body after death.

Necrosis. Death of individual cells or a localized area (decay).

Nematodes. Unsegmented worm with cylindrical body, often parasites.

Neonate. A newborn.

Nestling. A baby bird too young to leave the nest, still dependent on parents, often unable to maintain its body temperature without parents incubating.

Nocturnal. Refers to animals which are most active at night.

Omnivore. An animal that eats both animal and plant food.

Open fracture. Bone at the fracture site has broken through the skin.

Ornithology. The study of birds including classification, distribution, ethology and conservation.

Parasite. An animal that gains some advantage by living on or in another species.

Parenteral. Term used for the delivery of medications by routes other than oral; subcutaneous, intramuscular or intravenous.

Paresis. Severe weakness or partial paralysis of a limb.

Passerine. Birds belonging to the order Passeriformes (sparrow-shaped); largest order of birds including approximately 5,100 species.

PCV. Packed cell volume, volume of red blood cells in blood.

Pectoral muscles. One of two major flight muscles in birds, breast muscles.

Pellet. Roundish mass of bone and fur regurgitated by raptors (see cast).

Peristalsis. Contraction and relaxation of GI muscles forcing food downward.

Photoperiod. The proportion of hours of light to hours of darkness in the daily cycle.

Plastron. The ventral (bottom) shell of a turtle.

Plumage. Entire feathery covering of a bird.

Precocial. Birds which leave the nest soon after hatching usually having strong legs, open eyes and are more responsive to external environment (examples: quail, ducks, killdeer).

Preening. Use of the bill or beak to clean and align feathers.

Proventriculus. Portion of a bird's stomach, for partially digesting food before going to the gizzard.

Proximal. Close to the body; (Example: a fracture of the proximal humerus is a fracture of the section of the humerus close to the shoulder).

QID. Four times daily; every six hours.

Radiograph. X-ray.

Raptor. A bird of prey, (examples: hawk, owl), which catch and eat live prey.

Rehab. (slang) Anything related to wildlife rehabilitation.

Rehydration. The process of restoring body fluids to normal levels.

Roost. Sleeping location where birds congregate to sleep.

RVS. Rabies vector species (see NYSDEC listings).

Septicemia. Invasion of bacteria in the blood stream.

Shock. Collapse of circulatory function due to severe blood loss, toxins, etc.

SID. Once daily; every 24 hours.

Soft release. Slow, gradual release of animals back into the wild.

Sterilization. Process of complete destruction of all forms of microbial life.

Talons. Specialized claws of a bird of prey.

Thermoregulate. An animal's ability to maintain its normal body temperature.

Thiamine. Vitamin B1 (should be supplemented in fish-eating birds).

TID. Three times daily; every eight hours.

Trachea. Passageway of air to and from lungs for breathing.

Trematodes. Parasitic flatworm with suckers (synonymous with fluke).

Triage. Process of setting medical priorities.

Tube feeding. Same as gavage.

Uropygial gland. Oil gland, located above the base of the tail in most birds.

Vaccination. Injection of a preparation of killed or altered microorganisms intended to provide immune system protection from an infectious disease or parasite. Modified live vaccines are produced by chemically altering the microorganism so it is no longer capable of producing disease. Because the microorganism is still living, on occasion, some modified live vaccines have produced disease in vaccinated animals. Killed vaccines cannot produce disease, but often may not be as effective at stimulating the immune system.

Ventral. Pertaining to the belly or underside.

Virucide. Chemical agent that kill viruses.

Weanling. A young mammal that is of the appropriate age to begin eating solid foods.

Zoonoses. Diseases of animals which may be transmitted to people.