Bad Mother or what?

The usual story....fledgling climbs out of nest, can't fly, falls to ground, where there is a cat......Happy ending, because we rescued it, put it in a box and let the mama bird continue to feed it, which she definitely was, because I witnessed it several times.

Now here's the weird part--went out last night to cover the box to protect the baby overnight, and it was dead, lying on its side with its legs stretched out (not curled up, the way you usually find dead birds) and it looked like it had something in its mouth. Is it possible the Mama fed it a large insect and it choked? It was a Robin, almost ready to fly, so not small. Anyone else ever seen this? Not clear on the anatomy, but if a bird has something in its throat, is it unable to breathe? Very bummed because it was so old, I assumed it would be fine.

That is a shame. Hope someone can answer your question soon.

It just seems like I'm the curse of death for wild critters, especially birds, so was hoping I wasn't responsible for this one! Of course, they're all half-dead when I get them, but still.......

He could have hurt himself in the fall.