It’s not just people who’ve suffered in the recent heatwave, young birds in Geneva have taken desperate measures to survive.
The Ornithological Rehabilitation Center in Genthod says dozens of fledglings, unable to fly, jumped from their nests to escape scorching heat.
The center took in around 70 chicks in just one week, mainly black swifts, but also sparrows and swallows.
Why is this happening? Their rooftop nests turned into ovens - temperatures reached up to 60 degrees. Experts say it’s a matter of life or death for the chicks. Some died from the fall or suffered broken wings and burns from hot pavement.
Thankfully, most of the rescued birds are recovering.
With a bit of TLC—and plenty of crickets—they’re expected to take flight in two weeks and head off on their journey to Africa.
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