In a quintessentially Texan twist, a family in Amarillo, Texas, discovered a baby bird cold and abandoned on the ground during a swim party and barbeque. Acting quickly, the mother in the family, Katie Lasher Adlong, heated a tortilla on the stove and used it as a warm blanket to scoop up the chilly chick. After ensuring the bird was safely bundled, they alerted the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (WWWRC), suspecting they had found an owlet. However, upon closer inspection by the wildlife experts, it was identified as a Mississippi kite, a bird of prey native to the region.
The WWWRC marveled at the ingenuity of the tortilla blanket, sharing the heartwarming story on their Facebook page. The post went viral, with the center celebrating the creative rescue and launching a fundraising campaign featuring t-shirts and hoodies adorned with an image of a baby bird wrapped in a tortilla, accompanied by the slogan “Tortillas Save Lives.” The center is currently overwhelmed with injured birds, particularly due to the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, and is in urgent need of funds to provide the necessary medical care. The community’s response has been overwhelmingly supportive, with hundreds praising Adlong’s quick thinking and resourcefulness, turning what could only be a Texas tale into a symbol of inventive compassion and community spirit.
