Update on Baby Birds

For some reason, the mother bird hasn't been in her nest the last 2 days. We don't know if something happened to her or if these two birds are different and that's why she left. We have been very careful not to even breathe on the nest so we know that's not the reason. So, tonight, I stopped and got some powdered baby food so we could start feeding them. They were so weak that they wouldn't even open their mouths. Once they found out they were eating, they got a little stronger. They are so sweet. I want to keep one so bad and just might. I've got to get an incubator from a lady at the barn tomorrow. We put them back in the nest for tonight. Are going to feed them once more before bedtime. Here they are. One appears bigger than the other but we don't know if they are the same or not. There's also an unhatched egg in the nest.
http://www.boomspeed.com/dukedogsmom/babybird1.jpg
http://www.boomspeed.com/dukedogsmom/babybird2.jpg
http://www.boomspeed.com/dukedogsmom/babybird3.jpg
Here they are together
http://www.boomspeed.com/dukedogsmom/babybird4.jpg

Valerie they're so sweet! I wonder where momma went? :(
I also wonder what kind of birds they are? hmm...

Oh my gosh!!! How ADORABLE!!! Poor babies.......why did mama bird leave them? :( I sure hope they'll do just fine though. Do you have any idea what kind of birds they are?

I have no clue what type of birds they are. I guess we'll have to wait until the feathers grow in and then I can do some research.
I just went and hunted and found this: carolina wren
and I think that's what they are.

The very best thing you can do for these babies is to take them to a rehabber. They know what they need to eat and how often. I know from our wildlife rehab person here that momma birds will often feed the babies every hour. They need much more nutrition because of higher metabolisms than even kittens do. Also in many states it is illegal for a non-liscensed person to even handle wild birds let alone keep them. They just are not the same as a domesticated parrot. I know it is here in PA. I don't know for sure in Fl.

Denyce

Baby birds that are in the "pin feather" stage are within a week or so of learning how to fly. I agree with Denyce that a rehabber should take over before something goes wrong. Different birds have VERY different nutritional requirements, and even though the food you gave them perked them up...it may not meet their needs. Some baby birds are strictly insectivores, others may be omnivores etc. One can often not tell, and better to be on the safe side and let someone who knows the species take over. ;)

Maybe the babies are Cowbirds in a sparrows nest. Cowbirds are notorious for not building their own nests and laying their eggs in other birds nest. When the babies hatch the cowbird is typically bigger than the rest and will eat most the food. The poor parents trying to feed them will run theirselves ragged trying to feed the Cowbird while their own babies die from starvation. A lot of time the Cowbird baby will even knock the smaller birds or eggs out of the nest.

Mabye the mother of the nest has realized these are not her babies and has abandoned the nest.

I need to find a picture of Cowbird babies online to see if they look like yours.

The day after I put this last entry up, I was feeding the birds in the morning. Well, here came the mama bird with food in her mouth. So, I just put the bird back and went inside. In the last few days that have followed, we just fed them once in a.m. and once in p.m. The father bird has also been there. And, I fed them yesterday morning. I told mom they were going to be flying soon because one kept flying out of my hand. Well, I came back last night and both were gone. It's great news but I wanted to get some more pics. They were so sweet. They've been hatched a little over two weeks and from what I read on internet, they were supposed to start learning to fly around 15 days old. I'm wondering if the mama bird moved them now. The egg that didn't hatch is gone too. Don't know how she could have moved that, though. So, now I have empty nest syndrome. Makes me want to get a bird.