Tigeress
03-30-2002, 08:46 AM
Hello all,
As a Wildlife worker I thought I would put up some little known facts about baby birds so that you will know what to do when you find one. I know this is not exsactly pet stuff, but it is all about animal rescue. These are just some words of advise!
First Myth:
"A mother bird will not return to the nest if it or one of her young is touched by a human."
FALSE!!!! If you find a baby bird and you can see and reach the nest, place the bird back in the nest. This will not cause the parents to abandon. If you find the whole nest on the ground with survivors and the parents are still in the area (usually they will make distress calls or even dive bomb when you go near the fallen nest) pick up the whole nest and place it securly in the nearest tree or protected shrub. If the nest is beyond repair put the remains of the nest in a small box (to hold it together) and then place it in a tree. If you stand back and watch 9 times out of 10 the parents will return to feed their young within a few hours.
If the parents do not return, or there is no reachable nest in sight please take the young bird to the nearest Wildlife Center. A lot of people do not know that there is one in their area, but usualy there is. Call Animal Control, or the Humane Socity for the name and number of the nearest Center.
Place the bird in a small cardboard box (like a shoe box) lined with paper towel and transport it in a quite enviroment. Do NOT pet or talk to the bird to try and calm it down. It does not understand human kindness and figures that it will soon be a meal. Stress can kill wild baby birds very quickly. The best thing is to keep it in the dark and quite (turn off the radio in your car while transporting it). If you can not take the brid in right away place it in the box and then place half of the box on a heating pad set to the LOWEST setting. Do not put the whole box on the pad, the bird will seek out the temp it wants.
Raising baby birds to be wild is VERY difficult! They not only need special food, but also if you are not careful you will 'humanize' the bird and this will ruin it for life in the wild.
Second Myth:
"The best thing to feed a baby bird is milk and hambuger."
Ack! FALSE! You would not believe how many people bring us baby birds that they have been feeding either milk or hambuger. When was the last time you saw a bird attack a cow? Since birds do not produce true milk (doves do produce a liquid feed for their young that is called 'dove milk' but it is not like mammal milk) they can not digest lactose and it can kill them. This is also true for baby mammals! If you find an abandoned baby mammal do not give it cow milk (they bloat). If you find an abandoned baby mammal and you have to keep it overnight before taking it to a Wildlife Center the best thing you can give it is plain old water!
Also many of the commerical baby bird feeds (NutriStart, ect) are unfit for wild baby birds.
Feeding baby birds is very tricky. Each species of bird eats a diffrent diet. The best thing to do is, of course, take the animal to a Wildlife Center or a licensed Wildlife Rehabiltator. (For one thing in many states it is illegal to raise wildlife without training).
If you find a baby bird and there is no one in the area that can properly care for it e-mail me and I will try and help.
Third Myth:
"If a baby bird leaves the nest it should be able to fly."
False. Almost all birds learn to fly from the ground up. A bird that is almost ready to fly will leave the nest and often find itself on the ground. The parents will still care for it and after a dangeorus few hours to a few days the young bird will learn to fly.
If you find a baby bird that is fully feathered and hopping around on the ground with its parents near by (again they will shriek and sometimes dive bomb), leave it alone, it is trying. If you own a cat please try and keep it indoors (if not all all time at least during the summer). Domestic cats kill millions of wild birds every year.
If you have found an orphaned animal and need advise please trying and contact your nearest Wildlife Center or e-mail me at [email protected].
To see some of the babies I've raised:
http://members.tripod.com/Balme/Tabetha.html
Cheers,
Tigeress
As a Wildlife worker I thought I would put up some little known facts about baby birds so that you will know what to do when you find one. I know this is not exsactly pet stuff, but it is all about animal rescue. These are just some words of advise!
First Myth:
"A mother bird will not return to the nest if it or one of her young is touched by a human."
FALSE!!!! If you find a baby bird and you can see and reach the nest, place the bird back in the nest. This will not cause the parents to abandon. If you find the whole nest on the ground with survivors and the parents are still in the area (usually they will make distress calls or even dive bomb when you go near the fallen nest) pick up the whole nest and place it securly in the nearest tree or protected shrub. If the nest is beyond repair put the remains of the nest in a small box (to hold it together) and then place it in a tree. If you stand back and watch 9 times out of 10 the parents will return to feed their young within a few hours.
If the parents do not return, or there is no reachable nest in sight please take the young bird to the nearest Wildlife Center. A lot of people do not know that there is one in their area, but usualy there is. Call Animal Control, or the Humane Socity for the name and number of the nearest Center.
Place the bird in a small cardboard box (like a shoe box) lined with paper towel and transport it in a quite enviroment. Do NOT pet or talk to the bird to try and calm it down. It does not understand human kindness and figures that it will soon be a meal. Stress can kill wild baby birds very quickly. The best thing is to keep it in the dark and quite (turn off the radio in your car while transporting it). If you can not take the brid in right away place it in the box and then place half of the box on a heating pad set to the LOWEST setting. Do not put the whole box on the pad, the bird will seek out the temp it wants.
Raising baby birds to be wild is VERY difficult! They not only need special food, but also if you are not careful you will 'humanize' the bird and this will ruin it for life in the wild.
Second Myth:
"The best thing to feed a baby bird is milk and hambuger."
Ack! FALSE! You would not believe how many people bring us baby birds that they have been feeding either milk or hambuger. When was the last time you saw a bird attack a cow? Since birds do not produce true milk (doves do produce a liquid feed for their young that is called 'dove milk' but it is not like mammal milk) they can not digest lactose and it can kill them. This is also true for baby mammals! If you find an abandoned baby mammal do not give it cow milk (they bloat). If you find an abandoned baby mammal and you have to keep it overnight before taking it to a Wildlife Center the best thing you can give it is plain old water!
Also many of the commerical baby bird feeds (NutriStart, ect) are unfit for wild baby birds.
Feeding baby birds is very tricky. Each species of bird eats a diffrent diet. The best thing to do is, of course, take the animal to a Wildlife Center or a licensed Wildlife Rehabiltator. (For one thing in many states it is illegal to raise wildlife without training).
If you find a baby bird and there is no one in the area that can properly care for it e-mail me and I will try and help.
Third Myth:
"If a baby bird leaves the nest it should be able to fly."
False. Almost all birds learn to fly from the ground up. A bird that is almost ready to fly will leave the nest and often find itself on the ground. The parents will still care for it and after a dangeorus few hours to a few days the young bird will learn to fly.
If you find a baby bird that is fully feathered and hopping around on the ground with its parents near by (again they will shriek and sometimes dive bomb), leave it alone, it is trying. If you own a cat please try and keep it indoors (if not all all time at least during the summer). Domestic cats kill millions of wild birds every year.
If you have found an orphaned animal and need advise please trying and contact your nearest Wildlife Center or e-mail me at [email protected].
To see some of the babies I've raised:
http://members.tripod.com/Balme/Tabetha.html
Cheers,
Tigeress