Wee Birds and What They Want

Yesterday while I was walking a dog, I almost stepped on a baby bird on the sidewalk. I thought it was dead so I tugged the curious dog away and kept walking, but something made me turn back after a few more steps. I took a closer look, and it turned out the little guy was still alive. I can't think of anything worse than dying on hot asphalt in glaring sunlight, so I picked him up to move him under the shady protection of a nearby bush.

It was a nestling robin. I didn't take a picture, but I found one that looks about the same age and stage of development on the internet. 

Not particularly cute, but sweet all the same.

He may have fallen from his nest, or maybe a parent bird kicked him out for reasons only known to birds. I don't know how long he'd been on the ground. He wasn't making any noise, and struggled feebly in my hand, head wobbling. I settled him in the shade, wished him luck, and walked away.

Then I spent the next three hours arguing with myself about whether I had done the right thing.  I almost went back three times to pick him up and bring him home to try to hand-raise him. What stopped me? Well, for one thing, it's a federal offense to keep wildlife in captivity without a license. For another, I know nothing about feeding and caring for baby birds. And also, he could be injured or sick in ways I couldn't see which would make my efforts futile even if I were an expert. For all I know, he may have died two minutes after I walked away. 

It's interesting how horrible you can feel even after you've made a decision you're sure is right. Hours later, one of my friends said I could have taken him to a wildlife rescue. By that point, I figured it was far too late to go re-rescue the little guy. And wildlife rescues are probably busy enough without me bringing in one more common robin to deal with. Robins are hardly endangered, and the loss of one would not make a huge difference in the population. 

But I resolved to learn more so that the next time this happens, I'll know exactly what to do. 

There are two kinds of young birds you'll find on the ground: nestlings, like the one pictured above, with developing feathers, still partly naked and kind of grotesque-looking, and fledglings, who are older, have their feathers and can hop and flutter, but haven't got terrific flying skills yet.

Nestling: Feed me! All day, all the time!

Nestlings need your help. If you can see the nest they fell from, try to put them back. It's not true that parent birds will reject young that have been handled. Birds don't have very good senses of smell. So get the ladder and put the little one back in the nest. 

If you can't see a nest, then take a sturdy box or plastic container, line it with soft cloth or toweling, and nail it to the tree, high enough up that it's out of the reach of pets (and curious children) and put the baby bird in that. Parent birds have raised their babies in these, but I bet they wonder about our sorry nest-making skills. 

If you can't get the baby back into some sort of nest -- maybe there's a tree-climbing cat that has noticed what you're up to -- you might decide to take care of the baby yourself. It won't be as fun as you think. Baby birds need constant feeding. We're talking about every fifteen minutes all day long, sunrise to sunset. Once it's dark, you're relieved of duty -- at least with robins. They'll sleep about six hours at night -- but once the sun comes up, it's time to start poking food into your new baby's open beak. And it has to be the right variety of food. Birds eat grains, insects, worms, fruit -- all kinds of things, and if they don't get enough of the right vitamins and minerals, they'll die or not develop properly. So don't think you'll just poke a worm in there and be done with it. 

Besides the fact that it's a federal offense to keep or raise wildlife in captivity unless you have a special license. 

You're really better off taking it to a rescue. If you don't know where one is, you can take the little critter to your vet, and they will know who to call and what to do from there.

Fledgling: I'm chill, bro. Don't make it weird.

Fledglings are usually okay on their own. If you find one on the ground and it looks all alone, go away and watch it from a distance for a while. A parent bird is usually nearby, foraging for food, and will probably return within half an hour to feed the baby. This time on the ground is important for fledges, as they learn how to find food on their own and get to explore a bit. They are hardly ever "abandoned".  In the case of crows, there is an entire team of older birds that keep an eye on the younger birds, so even if a parent is killed somehow, other birds will still see to its care. 

Keep pets (and curious children) away and leave it alone.

If you are convinced that a fledgling is in danger, line a shoebox or similar with soft cloth or paper towels and put the bird inside. Don't attempt to feed it, but take it to a vet or rescue and let a wildlife professional take over. Because, like I've already said, it's a federal offense to keep or raise wildlife in captivity unless you have a special license. 

Okay, now that the birds are all safe, let's take care of one last little thing: if you are interested in becoming a wildlife rehabilitator, you can start that journey here: http://www.nwrawildlife.org/