Mass. woman finds baby bird with 2 heads, 3 beaks

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) - A Northampton woman made an unusual discovery in her yard - a deformed baby cardinal with two heads and three beaks.

April Britt says she found the bird near the base of a tree Monday and returned it to its nest.

The 67-year-old Britt tells the Daily Hampshire Gazette [article includes a photo] the bird apparently couldn't eat without assistance from the adult birds. The middle beak didn't work well and the other two didn't appear to be connected to the bird's throat.

A scientist for the Massachusetts Audubon Society says animals with such abnormalities rarely survive birth, making the find all the more unusual. He says the deformities could have been caused by genetic or environmental factors.

The baby and adults were gone by Tuesday.

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Information from: Daily Hampshire Gazette, http://www.gazettenet.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.