Caring For Lost Baby Birds
Posted in Birds | 32 views
by Hardison McMann
Coming across a baby bird of some kind is a fairly frequent occurrence for many people. You may be out for a walk, a bicycle ride, or a drive in your car and see a small bird on the ground. Often your immediate reaction is to catch the bird, take it home, and try to raise it. That is possible if you know what you are doing, but if you don’t, you are probably doing more harm than good trying to help the baby bird.
Here are a few suggestions about dealing with apparently deserted young birds:
Songbirds – This group includes most of the common as well as uncommon birds we may observe in our backyards: bluebirds, cardinals, doves, finches, robins, and many others. If you find a young songbird that has fallen out of the nest and you can locate the nest, try to place it back.
Many birds remain in the nest until they can fly, but some will occasionally leave the nest before then, sometimes because something has frightened them. Young cardinals are especially prone to an early exit before they can fly. Robins are also frequently seen hopping around before they can fly enough to get into bushes or trees for safety.
When they are on the ground, baby birds are in grave danger from predators. However, most of the time the adults continue to feed their young which have left the nest prematurely and gradually lead them to places of relative safety.
If the baby bird has accidentally fallen out of the nest, you may be able to place it back. In my experience, when the little bird has been frightened from the nest, efforts to replace it will be useless. It will immediately leave again.
Having replaced a fledgling, observe from a distance to see if the parents are still feeding it. Unfortunately, sometimes the adults will avoid a baby that has human scent on it. So handling it with gloves can be helpful.
If the parents do not reappear, with a permit you may be able to care for it. However, providing the appropriate diet is often a challenge. Different birds need different kinds of food, some not easily obtainable. Further, be careful to keep your dogs and cats away from baby birds; most dogs and cats will instinctively kill them immediately if they can get to them.
Waterfowl – With the increase in numbers, especially of Canada geese, encountering their young will become more frequent, even in cities. Sometimes baby geese (goslings) and ducks (ducklings) get separated from their parents. If you find a lone gosling or duckling, check the area for its family; if you can’t find them, contact the appropriate authorities. With a permit, you will probably be allowed to care for baby waterfowl.
Ducklings and goslings are relatively easy to provide for since their main diet is plant-based, including grains. But one of the drawbacks to raising any wild bird is that it will become dependent on human care and not be able to re-adapt to the wild where it belongs.
These examples of wild birds are just some of the most common ones likely to be found by people. Trying to rescue them can be done successfully, but there are risks that accompany such endeavors. So be sure to check with local wildlife authorities before attempting to care for apparently orphaned birds.
Original Title: Caring For Young Native Birds
About the author: Hardison McMann is a wildlife enthusiast who enjoys observing and caring for native wildlife.
Source: EzineArticles
Photo: chidorian
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