Your hawk has green diarrhea, shows signs of liver problems, and is suddenly clumsy and lethargic. She most likely has?

Prepare for the California Hawking Club Apprentice Test. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions with explanations. Master falconry and succeed in your exam!

The symptoms described suggest that the hawk is experiencing lead poisoning. Green diarrhea, indicative of a disruption in normal digestive function, can occur when the liver is stressed or damaged, which aligns with signs of liver problems. Additionally, a sudden change in behavior characterized by clumsiness and lethargy points towards neurological impact, which is often a consequence of lead exposure.

Lead poisoning in birds results from the ingestion of lead-based materials, which can lead to serious health issues, including neurological damage, digestive problems, and lethargy. The combination of these symptoms strongly indicates that the hawk is suffering from this type of poisoning.

Other conditions listed, such as frounce and sour crop, primarily affect the digestive system and typically wouldn’t induce the specific combination of neurological signs or the particular green diarrhea associated with liver distress. Apoplexy, while it can show sudden lethargy, is generally related to acute and extreme situations, often linked with other stressors rather than lead exposure's gradual manifesting symptoms. Thus, the symptoms align most closely with lead poisoning.

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