This bird is in a characteristic posture known as “hock-sitting”, in which it rests on its hocks, with the back arched and both legs extended forwards and spread laterally. Paralysis of the hind limbs is symmetrical.

The bird is also gasping. Gasping is a clinical sign of respiratory distress, in which a bird breathes with an open beak, often stretching its neck, making a rasping or hissing sound, or showing laboured, rapid breathing. It is not a diagnosis, but a symptom indicating that the bird cannot move air normally through its upper or lower respiratory tract.