# Sticky  Advice on Baby Birds



## corvid2e1

Through the summer there will be loads of posts, as always, from people needing help with baby birds, so I thought it would be helpful to have a thread giving some general advice on what to do.

This is not meant to be instructions on how to hand rear wild birds, this is always best left to people with experience, but advice on what to do with them for a short time until you can get them to a wildlife rehabilitator.

I know there are a few other rehabers on here so feel free to add anything else you think is relevent.

first, a few myths to dispel:

1. The parents will not smell your scent on the young bird and abandon it because you have touched it. Most birds have a very poor sence of smell and will still retern to the baby, even if they see you handling it, often even if it is reterned several days later.

2. Bread and milk is the worst posable thing to feed to any bird. more on feeding later.

3. Never force water into a bird's beak thinking it needs a drink. young birds do not drink at all until they start to feed themselves, and at this stage will drink from a shallow bowl if they need to. most of the moisture is obtained through their food. Any liquid forced into the beak can easily end up in the lungs, causing serious damage.

4. Several years ago, the RSPCA and the RSPB started their "Don't Touch" campaigne, with the intention of reducing the numbers of healthy fledglings brought into rehabers un-necisarily. this turned out to be the bigest disaster imagenable, going from one extreme to the other, with people now leaving unfeathered nestlings or injured fledglings to die thinking that their parents will magicly carry them back to the nest or fix their broken bones. whether or not to leave a young bird alone depends on the situation, the age, condition and species of the bird involved, and can't be generalised that easily.

A healthy fledgling should have a complete covering of feathers, although the wings and tail will be short and there may be traces of fluffy down on the head and back. it should be able to suport its own weight on its legs, run or hop and perch. it shoud also be able to flutter a short distance although proper flight is not achived straght away. young birds are often bold and slow to try to escape, but should be bright and alert. if the bird is lying on its belly, is lethargic, fluffed up, not compleatly feathered, injured, or has had any contact with a cat, even if no wounds are aparent, then it must be picked up.

If the bird is picked up, house it is a secure box, lined with tissue or kitchen roll, and keep somwhere warm, dark and quiet. avoid any unesisary handling and keep away from any domestic animals. 

Song Birds/Small Garden Birds.

Try to identify the species if posable. remember that many young birds have different plumage to their parents so this is not always the best guide. check the colour of the inside of the beak. most insect eating birds will have a yellow or pale orange gape and a slender beak. Dunnoks will have bright orange with two black spots on the base of the tongue. finches and sparrows will have a red centre surounded by yellow, and have a thicker, heavier bill. all young birds of this type are fed insects by their parents, regardles of the adult diet. try to avoid feeding eathworms as some species are toxic. mealworms are very good. if these are not available then cat food with the jelly/gravy washed off is also a good substitute. if nothing else is available then scrambled egg is the best short term food. if the bird will gape (open its beak to you, usualy when it sees movement, hears a noise or feels someting touch the side of the beak) then you can push a small amound to food to the back of the throat with a pair of blunt tweezers. if it does not gape then you may need to gently prise the beak open and insert the food, again, well to the back of the throat. the frequency they need to be fed varys slightly depending on age and species, however about every hour would be average.

Pigeons and Doves

Young pigeons and doves are one of the easiest birds to mis-identify. I have been brought them by people thinking they have everything from marsh harriers to ducks. They have a thick, fleshy, slightly hooked beak, covered in wirey, yellow down, and will often squeal when handled. below is a young Wood Pigeon.









These birds do not leave the nest before they can fly, so if they are found sitting on the ground and can be easily caught then they have to come in. they are very specilist to feed, as they do not gape, and feed straght from the parent's crop, so do not attempt to give them any food. luckely they can go longer without food that most small birds so this is not to much of a problem. just get them to a wildlife rehaber as quickly as posable.

Corvids (Crows, Magpies etc)

Corvids go through an extra stage between nestling and fledgling called branchling. during this stage they leave the nest before they can fly, but spend the time climbing in the branches of the nesting tree. ocasionaly they will get something wrong or get caught by the wind and end up on the ground. in most cases they will attempt to climb back up the tree themselves. most corvids, will continue to feed these grounded birds as long as it is safe for them to do so, however it will help for the young bird to be placed as hight as posable back in tree rather than being left on the ground. the one exception is rooks. due to the areas they nest, if is often very dificult for the branchling to climb back up the tree, and the parrents will not feed on the ground. if you find a grounded young rook it will almost always need to be brought in. young rooks and crows look very similar, as both have feathered beaks, but the easiest way to descide which it is, is to look up. if there are a number of large stick nests above you, then you are in a rookery and the bird is more than likely a rook. if there is just a single nest then it is probably a crow. Corvids can be fed in much the same way as the smaller song birds, and will have a pink gape.

Raptors and Owls

Tawny and Little Owls go through through the same branchling stage as corvids, and are much better at climbing the trees. both are frequently found as balls of grey fluff looking very lost and vunerable. as long as they are fairly well grown and not still tiny (do not mistake a little owl for a very young tawny. little owls have pale yellow eyes, tawnys have dark brown and blue eyes) they are usualy fine. again, if you want to help, placing the young bird off the ground will keep it away from predators. Barn Owls and Raptors do not go through this stage, and look exactly like their parents by the time they leave the nest. if they are found on the ground still with white down then they must be picked up. Birds of prey must be fed on raw meat. chopped, whole animals such as day old chicks or mice are best. if this is not available then raw mince will do as a short term substitute.

Gulls

Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls often nest on flat roofs in costal towns, so are often found. the chicks will leave the nest at a few days old and wander around the parent's terratory. they will often fall from the roof, usualy un-injured, and be found in peoples gardens or in the road. this causes people to worry about predators, lack of feeding. also, the parents can become a problem as they are very protective and will dive bomb potential predators. usualy, as long as the young bird is in a fairly safe area, such as an enclosed garden, then the parents will continue to feed it. warmth is not usualy an issue as they are covered in thick down from hatching. idealy if the bird can be placed back on the roof then it will be the safest place for it, and everyone involved who is getting attacked by the adults! iof the bird is injured, or realy has to be brought in due to the location, then it can be fed raw meat and fish choped into small pieces. usualy they will feed themselves from a bowl, however if very young they may prefer to snatch pieces from your fingers.

Waterfowl and Gamebirds

These birds are well coated in down and are able to feed themselves from hatching. waterfowl are rairly left by their mother so if they are found alone then something is wrong. it may be that they have just been seperated and if the mother can be found she will take them back readily. often though, if a single, very young bird is found it may have something wrong and has been deliberetly left. gamebirds tend to stray a little further from the mother, but she should still be close by. they are also more able than waterfowl and are able to fly a short distance from a very young age. if these are brought in they need a larger space, as they are active, and overhead heat. they can be fed on chick crumbs which they should eat for themselves. if waterfowl are reluctent to feed, mixing the crumbs with water can help. gamebirds can be tempted to eat by offering small insects such as mini mealworms. also, puting crumbs on a mirror or tin foil can induce them to peck at it. water must be suplyed in a bowl but not large enough for the birds to get into, as they are not yet waterproof and get cold very easily. this will have to be changed often as they make a lot of mess. Waterfowl and Gamebirds will apriciate somthing to snuggle into and hide under. handing a mop head from the roof of the container works well.

I think that covers the most common situations and species, and hopfully will help. as said, if anyone can think of anything else I have missed then please feel free to add it.


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## Shell195

Very informative, it would be nice if the RSPCA had done their research before printing their stupid leaflet
They now have one telling you to leave hedgehogs alone, this is only correct if its dusk until dawn as any hedgehogs out during the day have a problem.


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## corvid2e1

Thanks people. figured it would be helpfull instead of giving the same advice over and over all summer.

The Rooks are now branching. just picked up my first 3 of the season today. Anyone who finds them, please ignore the RSPCA and don't leave them!


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## adamntitch

good post i also take in baby birds that are hurt or lost i was talking to an rspca inspector the other day there on a diffrent forum and she told me they do put down most baby birds as they feel they never realy survive after being released


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## corvid2e1

adamntitch said:


> good post i also take in baby birds that are hurt or lost i was talking to an rspca inspector the other day there on a diffrent forum and she told me they do put down most baby birds as they feel they never realy survive after being released


Depends on species, how they are raised, how they are released etc. obviously a bird that is played with and petted until it is compleatly tame, then just thrown outside when it starts to fly, as happens far to often with people who don't know what they are doing, doesn't have a high chance of survival. if it is done properly, the birds raised carfully, preferably in groups to avoid imprinting, de-humanised, trained in natural behaviour, and released in a properly monitored, soft release program, into the right habitat (you would not belive how often that part is screwed up!) then they can have just as high a survival rate as the ones raised in the wild. post release monitoring such as ringing and radio tracking, some done by the RSPCA themselves, has proven this. certan species are also tougher and more adaptable that others, also giving them a better chance. pigeon and thrush species, including Wood Pigeons and Blackbirds, 2 of the most common admitions to wildlife rehabers, have some of the highest survival rates, provided it is done in the right way.


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## wohic

I have just sticked this very useful information.
Can I just add to the waterfowl piece though.
If you buy chick crumbs to feed them PLEASE be very careful that the crumbs 
are not medicated (most are) as ducks are very big eaters, this leads to and overdose of anti cocci which can cause death


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## catastrophyrat

Great post -
I've raised a magpie a crow and a green finch all successfully -the crow was released in a rescue's private grounds -the magpie was disabled so lived here and the green finch became too tame to release and by a quirk of fate another came into my vets injured and they both lived with me .
i had vet permission to keep these birds.


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## feorag

Totally agreed - well done for doing it!


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## Shell195

This thread is well worth a sticky:no1:


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## vonnie

Just wanted to say thank you for this post :2thumb:

I found a baby house martin on the street today when I left work. Sadly it didn't make it back here. It had fallen at least three storeys out of the nest and was still very young. But it was reassuring when I picked it up that this post, and the many members of this forum with experience, are here to help.

RIP baby bird.


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## JaMMiT

Thank you for all the information you have given us!


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## FeralWild

I could watch this video for hours and keep giggling.

I have found in west yorkshire where I grew up that being an animal lover meant I was constantly brought baby birds from people who thought I could help look after them but in reality it was soooo frustrating as most of them would have been fine if they were simply left alone. 
Even a chick a few days old can survive if it is picked up with a pair of gloves and popped back into the nest where it can snuggle back up with its siblings.

I have found however in the case of handrearing chicks that if you wear a blanket over your head whilst feeding and maintaining as little contact as possible with them besides the feeding and cleaning, then when it comes to rehab, the chicks have not imprinted and so are so much easier to release.

With ducks and geese however they tend to imprint regardless of whether you hide your identity or not. I have even heard of tests in canada where goslings have imprinted on a red balloon and followed it when it blew along the ground, but refused to have anything to do with a blue balloon.
In this case, I have found that acclimatising them outside for a period without human contact helps and they then reimprint on each other, making future social behaviours simpler to master, then releasing them in public parks with other geese or ducks means they have a safe water source and a regular food supply.<A id=link_1305058990278_7 href="http://www.tickerfactory.com/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>


I would add though that unless you were trained in wildlife rehab or had extensive experience then you leave it to the experts to do the important stuff


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## henry415

adamntitch said:


> good post i also take in baby birds that are hurt or lost i was talking to an rspca inspector the other day there on a diffrent forum and she told me they do put down most baby birds as they feel they never realy survive after being released


That's probably because the RSPCA have very little understanding of the requirements of wildlife and therefore proceed with a defeatist attitude from the start.:whip:


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## henry415

The most common mis-conception amongst the public is that you feed young birds 'bread'. I have successfully raised many small birds to adulthood using nothing more than tinned dog food, banana and broccolli. All through a 1mil syringe. But let's all hope there's not many 'abandoned' chicks this spring!:2thumb:

A great, informative thread by the way.





p.s, it is a load of codwallop that birds can 'smell' human on the chicks and abandon the nest.


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## john786

:2thumb:
excellent dude , the information u shared about the pigeon and doves is great because in reality people are not aware about such knowledge about the baby birds ,,, so thank u for sharing such beautiful information of the beautiful little birds.....


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## Tommy Coopers Ghost

Dont Know if its been mentioned in this thread, but a useful tip for downed failed to fly fledgeLings in yer gardens...

Parents will return for them, but their biggest Danger is cats..

Get an open box, peg it to the middle of yer Washing Line, place Baby bird inside box... keeps them safe From cats etc ready for when mum and dad return. plus puts them high up for next Take off attempt 

TCG


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## feorag

Plant pots work better, because in heavy rain the box can fill with water before it soaks through, whereas a plant pot has a hole in the bottom. :2thumb:


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## Tommy Coopers Ghost

Top tip : victory:


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