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Tips for Dealing with Baby Birds
 Tips
for Dealing with Baby Birds
Warmer months bring newborn baby birds. During
this time, it is not uncommon to find a baby bird fallen from
the nest or fluttering around close to his/her home tree.
Although mother nature is the absolute ruler over life and
death, there are a few situations you may come across in which
you may be able help young birds.
What's the Best Thing to Do If You Find a Baby
Bird?
Most of the time, the best thing is to leave
a baby bird right where you found him. As helpless and frail
as these baby birds may appear, they are there for a reason,
and they probably have parents who are watching them from
somewhere nearby. To assure yourself that the male or female
parent will return to the baby, keep your eye on the young
bird for up to three hours from a discreet distance. It's
important to watch for the duration of that time in order
not to wrongly assume abandonment, because it's very easy
for one of the parents to slip into the bush, feed the babies,
and leave again by the time you've gotten up to get a glass
of water or answer the phone. It's also critical during this
observation time that you refrain from disturbing the reunion.
If the parents are continually frightened, they may never
come back. Stay out of sight and try to keep all dogs and
cats out of the area.
Do your best to keep the young bird out of
danger, but remember that some things are out of your control.
For example, a snake may come along and eat the baby bird.
It is probably best not to try to save the victim, or to kill
the snake. This is nature in action. A hawk might soon come
along and eat the snake!
One last important consideration to make when
watching baby birds is to be aware that certain species nest
on the ground. And remember, bringing up birds is often a
two-parent job. If the female parent has died, the male may
continue where she left off, and vice versa. Be observant,
cautious, and, above all, try to remember whose baby s/he
really is. If you're certain that the parent bird has disappeared
for good and left a nest full of offspring, call the WRR 24-Hour
Emergency Hotline at (830) 336-2725.
How to Help During Each Developmental Stage
Baby songbirds have three main stages of development,
and in any of these stages they are very vulnerable. In the
"pinkie" stage, the bird is newly hatched, pink
in color, and completely without feathers. Pin feathers begin
to develop in the "baby" stage, along with soft
down on the head and back. The final stage before adulthood
is the "fledgling." The bird will be fully feathered
and will begin to learn how to eat on its own, although it
will still receive care from the parent birds.
Fallen Pinkies or Babies (Locatable Nest)
If you happen to find a fallen pinkie or baby
bird, locate the nest and put the bird back. The parent birds
will usually resume care for the hatchling once it's back
in the nest. It's absolutely a myth that a parent bird will
reject a baby if it is touched by human hands. Most birds
lack a strong sense of smell and therefore don't necessarily
know who touched their baby.
Fallen Pinkies or Babies (Unlocatable Nest)
If you can't locate the nest, put the hatchling
in a small cardboard box with some dry brown grasses on the
bottom for bedding. The grass will provide warmth and a stable
surface to grip (as opposed to the smooth and slippery surface
of cardboard). Then, situate the box in a tree closest to
where you found the bird on the ground. If you can see the
nest but it's too high for your reach, situate the cardboard
box in the same tree but on a branch that's reachable. The
parent bird may take a few hours to get used to the new nest,
but will eventually resume care of its young.
Abandoned Fledglings
The procedure differs slightly for a fledgling
bird. Fledglings are often mistaken for birds that are injured
or unable to fly when, on the contrary, they're actually learning
how to fly. A fledgling will hop out of the nest to perch
on surrounding branches, or flutter to the ground, where it
will spend several days to several weeks being taught by the
parents how to pick up seeds or catch insects. A parent bird
will actually guide the fledgling into bushes during the night
to hide it from predators. If you find a fledgling in a high-traffic
area such as a sidewalk or a street, move it into the cover
of some nearby bushes. Otherwise, leave the bird where you
found it.
Leave Me Alone…I Live Here!
If you discover a young bird out in the middle
of an open field with no trees in sight, before coming to
the conclusion that it has been abandoned or misplaced, try
to identify the species in a field guide. Killdeer, meadowlarks,
horned larks, and some species of sparrows are good examples
of birds that nest on the ground in open areas. They leave
their young in the cover of tall grasses or brush while out
searching for food. Again, a parent bird may leave its young
for up to four hours at a time, so be patient!
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