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'Taylor' The Swift, Stranded Bird, Faces Road Trip To Rescue (PHOTO)

Helping 'Taylor' Swift Fly Again
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WRA

"Taylor" the swift can't fly yet, so the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C. (WRA) is raising money to drive it to California and reunite the stranded bird with its own kind.

The white-throated swift was found on a sidewalk in Coquitlam and taken to the association on Nov. 4, according to a news release.

Swifts never land on the ground of their own volition, and only use their legs to grip at vertical surfaces or wires, Global News reported.

Check out some photos of "Taylor," the white-throated swift. The story continues after the slideshow:

"Taylor" Swift Needs Rescue
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This gallery shows images of "Taylor" the white-throated swift, a stranded bird that must be driven to California. (credit:Wildlife Rescue Association of BC)
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(credit:Wildlife Rescue Association of BC)
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A King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) perches on a trunk at the Zoo Summit outside Panama City on June 17, 2013. (RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A secretarybird is pictured at the zoo of the French eastern city of Amneville, on July 8, 2013. (JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A cassowary bird that is native to Australia and New Guinea rainforests is seen in it's enclosure at the Beijing zoo on June 24, 2013. The zoo grounds were originally a Ming Dynasty imperial palace and finally opened to the public in 1908. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An eagle owl (Hibou grand-duc) is pictured at the zoo of the French eastern city of Amneville, on July 08, 2013. (JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) 'Panama', is seen at the Zoo Summit outside Panama City on June 17, 2013. The three-year old eagle --the first to be born in captivity at the Miami Metro Zoo-- was given as a present as it is Panama's national bird. (RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A peacock is seen at the Rossy Whalther's Zoo in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on July 11,2013. (ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A Malachite Kingfisher sits by a pool in Kruger National Park on July 8, 2013 in Lower Sabie, South Africa. The Kruger National Park was established in 1898, and is South Africa's premier wildlife park, spanning an area of approximately 2 million hectares. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A scarlet ibis is pictured at the zoo of Mulhouse, eastern France, on June 13, 2013. (SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A rescued albino blackbird is pictured at the animal rescue station in Bartosovice, Moravia. There are maximum several dozens of albino blackbirds in Europe. In nature, most of them do not survive because others attack them. This first in Czech Republic albino blackbird is one month old and was found in a park. (RADEK MICA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) perches on a trunk at the Zoo Summit outside Panama City on June 17, 2013. (RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A Jay eats a baby Great Tit after poaching it from a nest in Green Park on June 3, 2013 in London, England. The Jay is a member of the crow family and usually eats invertebrates such as beetles and caterpillars, as well as fruit and seeds such as Acorns. Though not common behaviour they are also known to take small birds from their nests for food. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) 'Panama', is seen at the Zoo Summit outside Panama City on June 17, 2013. The three-year old eagle --the first to be born in captivity at the Miami Metro Zoo-- was given as a present as it is Panama's national bird. (RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A cassowary bird that is native to Australia and New Guinea rainforests is seen in it's enclosure at the Beijing zoo on June 24, 2013. The zoo grounds were originally a Ming Dynasty imperial palace and finally opened to the public in 1908. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A Greater Rhea bird from South America with her two chicks in it's enclosure at the Beijing zoo on June 24, 2013. The zoo grounds were originally a Ming Dynasty imperial palace and finally opened to the public in 1908. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A Pied Kingfisher sits on a bridge by the water in Krugar National Park on July 7, 2013 in Lower Sabie, South Africa. The Kruger National Park was established in 1898, and is South Africa's premier wildlife park, spanning an area of approximately 2 million hectares. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A rare Southern Ground Hornbill sits on the ground in Krugar National Park on July 6, 2013 in Lower Sabie, South Africa. The Kruger National Park was established in 1898, and is South Africa's premier wildlife park, spanning an area of approximately 2 million hectares. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A Martial Eagle sits in a tree in Krugar National Park on July 7, 2013 in Lower Sabie, South Africa. The Kruger National Park was established in 1898, and is South Africa's premier wildlife park, spanning an area of approximately 2 million hectares. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Barn Owl chicks (chouette-effraie) are pictured at the zoo of the French eastern city of Amneville, on July 8, 2013. (JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A greenwing macaw is pictured at the zoo of the French eastern city of Amneville, on July 8, 2013. (JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A great-tailed grackle stands gape-mouthed in the shade in 120-degree heat near Furnace Creek Ranch on the eve of the AdventurCORPS Badwater 135 ultra-marathon race on July 14, 2013 in Death Valley National Park, California. Billed as the toughest footrace in the world, the 36th annual Badwater 135 starts at Badwater Basin in Death Valley, 280 feet below sea level, where athletes begin a 135-mile non-stop run over three mountain ranges in extreme mid-summer desert heat to finish at 8,350-foot near Mount Whitney for a total cumulative vertical ascent of 13,000 feet. July 10 marked the 100-year anniversary of the all-time hottest world record temperature of 134 degrees, set in Death Valley where the average high in July is 116. A total of 96 competitors from 22 nations are attempting the run which equals about five back-to-back marathons. Previous winners have completed all 135 miles in slightly less than 24 hours. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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This June 19, 2013, photo shows Aura, a three-year-old female peregrine falcon, at the home of biologist Glenn Stewart in Santa Cruz, Calif. After decades of scrambling on the underside of California bridges to pluck endangered peregrine falcon fledglings teetering in ill-placed nests, inseminating female birds and releasing captive-raised chicks, wildlife biologists have been so successful in bringing back the powerful raptors that they now threaten Southern Californias endangered shorebird breeding sites. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it will no longer permit high profile peregrine chick rescues from Bay Area bridges, a move which they concede will likely lead to fluffy chicks tumbling into the water below and drowning next spring. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (credit:AP)

The bird was underweight and suffering from Central Nervous System trauma. It received 10 days of medical treatment and supportive care before it could be conditioned for release into the wild.

But allowing Taylor to fly again in a Vancouver winter would be a death sentence, as white-throated swifts are not usually found this far north in the cold season.

So the WRA is coordinating "Operation Taylor," a fundraiser to drive the bird from its Burnaby headquarters to Native Songbird Care and Conservation in Sebastopol, Calif., where it can live in a warmer climate with more food sources and other members of its species.

The association is seeking $1,600 to make the road trip, with the money paying for gas, wildlife export permits, border broker fees, accommodation and food.

The WRA says driving the swift is the safest option, as it will allow staff to feed it every hour before it is handed over to the care centre.

It's a long, expensive trip, but association staff say it's worth it because Taylor has a good chance of survival, Global News said.

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