Unfortunate Sparrow

This Chipping Sparrow, which we saw on the sidewalk on Sunday, appears to have lost an eye. Click on the photo for a larger view, then compare it to the photos on the All About Birds site. The whole area looks distorted -- instead of a nice neat black stripe through the eye, the white stripe above it swells out. I think the eye on the other side is there, but it's hard to tell for sure. There are avian diseases that can cause serious repercussions to the eyes. I certainly can't tell if this is congenital, disease-based or an injury, but it doesn't bode well for the bird's survival. This bird caught our attention because it was just sitting quietly on the sidewalk. It did flutter away when we got within a few feet of it, but it wasn't behaving like a normal active bird (though possibly like a young bird waiting for a parent).