Found Baby Bird

Hello! My friend and I found a baby bird, and i'm wondering what type of bird it is. We think he's a sparrow, and we are feeding him worms which he seems to love. Any guesses on what he is? (Sorry for the picture size; I know this isn't parrot related, but I'm hoping someone has seen a bird like this before.)

I have no idea the species, but he sure is cute! Mm worms...

It could be an American Tree Sparrow, but it also could be a Thrush, I'm not exactly sure.

I recommend looking for the nest it came from, it was most likely trying to fledge. If you have any wildlife sanctuaries nearby, you can take it there as well. It doesn't look super young, but in a pinch you can get insectivore bird food to feed it. Handle with gloves, and keep away from any other birds you might have. This time of year it's super common to find baby birds!

Unless you intend on keep this bird as a pet, try to find the nest. You are not capable of teaching it what it needs to know as a wild bird, and releasing it when it's flighted will be a death sentence. I know you mean well, but that's the facts. Cute bugger tho.

wrench13 said:

Unless you intend on keep this bird as a pet, try to find the nest. You are not capable of teaching it what it needs to know as a wild bird, and releasing it when it's flighted will be a death sentence. I know you mean well, but that's the facts. Cute bugger tho.

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I think its too late to put it back in the nest as once a baby wild bird is handled by humans it is unlikely to be fed by its parents...lots of fledglings fall out of nests and are continnued to be fed by the parents so its always best to leave them alone unless of course you observe a baby bird for hours which has no parent coming to feed him and in this case its good to intervene but this baby needs to go to a wild life sanctuary where it will be given a chance to survive and live as normal a life as possible for its species. If it doesnt go to a santuary then at least contact a wildlife santuary to see how best to feed it and care for it. Iagree with wrench 13 keeping it and releasing it when flighted is indeed a sure death sentence for it hasnt learned how to take care of itself or live in the wild and all the things baby birds need to learn from their parents and surroundings to help them survive. Lovely pic

One of my daughters, Holly, rescued a mockingbird that some jerk had used as a football!
I argued with her and tried to make her realize there was nothing we could do, but, Holly!!

The little fid lived with us for about 2 months, in our screened in pool area. After a bit, other mockingbirds from outside the area started taking interest in her and they would interact through the screen. We started letting her go in and out of the enclosure as she wanted, she would leave during the day be with the other birds and then always return at dusk. Then one day she stopped returning in the evening, but for several days, would allow us to walk right up to her and take food. Over the month, she slowly lost that level of trust. A very good thing!
The next spring, she was back- with a family! We were sure it was her because she would hang within a few feet of us as long as we remained quiet and didn't try to approach her,
This is such the exception, but was an awesome experience!

Hey, something I want to add about your baby bird. Call around to your local vets. One of ours, also a great bird man, Dr. Geiler, will take in any wild animal, in any shape, and do everything in his power to get that animal reintegrated! My other daughter, Heather, the vet tech, worked for him for several years.
Just yesterday, Heather and wife, with the help of our fire dept, boxed up a raccoon that was hit by a car. They brought it to Dr. Geiler, and it was immediately taken into surgery!
A plug,, About

Having played with many a baby robin when I was young - just because you feed and handle a baby, as long as the parents know where it is, they will still feed and care for it too. Many that look abandoned really aren't.

You've received some great advice. Baby really is sweet it's magical to be able to interact with them.

P.S. if you can't find the feed Aquila mentioned, you can often find game bird food at feed stores. Put it in water, let it get mushy and put some on tip of finger. Put in baby's mouth and he will eat it. Has more to keep him healthy than worms alone. This will hold him over until he's back with parents or at wildlife center.

Probably should've mentioned, I have raised/released birds before. The nearest wildlife rescue is 4 hours away, and they won't come. When I asked the vets, no one wanted him. I can't put him back, he was found on a road and almost hit by a car. His chirps wouldn't be heard, and there are no nests nearby. If not run over a feral cat would have surely taken him. I agree that he looks like a sparrow, thank you all for the posts and help! =)

You did right taking him off the road. Hopefully you will be able to find a diet for him that keeps him healthy and you have been given a few good suggestions about that. Its a shame the wildlife sanctuary or the vet werent helpful. It looks like you have taken on the awesome privilidge of being his family for a while at least and providing for him and his needs. Best of Luck with your new family member ... keep us posted as to his progress. He's a lucky little guy that he wssnt run over...I wonder how he got out there all on his own perhaps he escaped another near death experience too from a preditor who dropped him on the road before you found him ...lucky little guy

I may be wrong, but the beak looks a little too long and thin to be a sparrow. Maybe a starling?

Not to be a pain, but since you have not listed where in the huge World you are! There are any number of different Wild Birds that at this age would look like, well this baby bird.

Seen several really great Posts here!

As a child my parents rescued a wild baby Robin.
We released it back into the wild once it learned to fly.
It stayed in the area for 2 or 3 years. The bird could be recognized by a drooping wing that it got from falling from it's nest in a storm.
Good luck with your little baby, I think you did the right thing.
texsize

For mine I would simply care for it until it is able to feed itself and then you either have a hand raised bird or simply let it fly away. You can leave food and water for it if it hangs around. I don't know of a country which doesn't have problems with feral animals (birds, dogs cats, goats, horses etc. etc etc) so the idea that 'releasing a bird is a death sentence' is rather extreme in my view.
If there is a ready food source in your area then the bird has a very good chance of surviving and remember that birds will fly away if startled. Very few will land in front of a cat and say, "Hey kitty, you look hungry, feed on me!"
The thing to remember is that most bird species are independent within a couple of weeks of fledging so releasing a bird after hand raising it gives the bird a very good chance to live its natural life.

BIRDIGIRL said:

wrench13 said:

Unless you intend on keep this bird as a pet, try to find the nest. You are not capable of teaching it what it needs to know as a wild bird, and releasing it when it's flighted will be a death sentence. I know you mean well, but that's the facts. Cute bugger tho.

Click to expand...

I think its too late to put it back in the nest as once a baby wild bird is handled by humans it is unlikely to be fed by its parents...lots of fledglings fall out of nests and are continnued to be fed by the parents so its always best to leave them alone unless of course you observe a baby bird for hours which has no parent coming to feed him and in this case its good to intervene but this baby needs to go to a wild life sanctuary where it will be given a chance to survive and live as normal a life as possible for its species. If it doesnt go to a santuary then at least contact a wildlife santuary to see how best to feed it and care for it. Iagree with wrench 13 keeping it and releasing it when flighted is indeed a sure death sentence for it hasnt learned how to take care of itself or live in the wild and all the things baby birds need to learn from their parents and surroundings to help them survive. Lovely pic

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I work in wildlife rehabilitation and specialise in wild bird rescue and that is not true at all about the parents being unlikely to feed it once it's handled by humans.

If possible, try to re-nest. Wait a few hours to see if mom comes. If mom hasn't come by after a couple hours, then yes, bring it to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Keep in a warm, dark, quiet place and do not offer food or water before bringing it into care. Offering food or water often does more harm then good if they get contaminated and wet.


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