Ron Hines DVM PhD 4/29/06

Raising displaced nestling birds is an enjoyable and generally successful endeavor. In Southern Florida, nestling birds begin to come in early April and continue through August. With the exception of morning doves and mocking birds that can nest in any season. There are two types of nestling birds, altricial and precocial. Precocial birds include all quail-like, duck-like and avocet-like birds. That is, birds born with relatively large yolk sacs that begin wandering and eating on their own shortly after birth. They can be fed “starter” game bird diets. They need a source of fresh water from birth. Usually I use a shallow dish and fill it with marbles and then water. The majority of birds that will find there way to your doorstep will be altricial birds. That is, birds born with scant or no feathers and completely dependent on their parents for food. All songbirds fit in this category, as do raptors, owls, swallows, sparrows and larks. It is only on the rare occasion that a nest of these birds falls to the ground that you may face the prospect of feeding altricial birds in their featherless state. At this stage their eyes are unopened, their beaks generally a verdant yellow and their ability to rise to a standing condition quite limited. When these birds are found, the primary concern is temperature regulation. These birds need to be kept at approximately 100F with humidity not below 80%. Even seed-eating song birds feed their chicks insects, so when in doubt, feed them the insect-eater diet described in another article on this web page. I like to keep them in a small straw Easter basket lined with facial tissue. My experience has been that these immature birds are rarely successfully returned to their parents – even if the parents remain near by. Temperature must be maintained with a 40-watt light bulb or incubator. These birds need to be fed every hour or whenever a forceps rubbed against their beak stimulates them to gape. Do not limit the amount that they eat. However, cease the feeding when their gaping is half-hearted. They need no water, just moist diet. They usually stay put in whatever container you use if the sides of the bowl are about two to three times the height of the chick.

Luckily, the vast majority of altricial baby birds you will receive will be fledged and just about ready to fly. This is a messy stage in their life but they can regulate their body temperatures well by this age and they do not need to be fed as often. Most, by this time will line up on perches. You get these birds for a variety of reasons. First, many are learning to fly and in the process fall out of trees. Others are shoved out by their siblings who might have been slightly larger. Even a 10 hour difference in hatching time translates into a major size differential as the first hatchlings compete more successfully for food from their parents. Some are just clumsy while others hatched a bit later than the rest of the clutch and were abandoned by their parents after their siblings left. A few were pushed out of their nests by parasitic cowbirds. With these older birds, it is a good idea to place them in a tree in a basket and observe them for a day or so to see if the parents resume feeding them. You can supplement their diet during this time. There is no truth in the saying that a bird touched by a human will be abandoned by its parents. Often, the parents have offspring in various trees and shrubs around your property and will care for the chicks until they can fly and fend for themselves. If this does not work, or is impossible, these older babies can be successfully hand raised. Again, use the insect-eater diet when in doubt as to the bird’s species. Feed them every few hours or whenever they beg for food. They should defecate on their own – no stimulation is necessary.
But it is helpful to keep their vent clean if they cannot poop over the side of the container. These birds are hard to keep in containers and are best housed in enclosed birdcages with nests and perches. Be sure that no twine-like material or cotton is used for bedding – just use crumbled paper towels and facial tissue. Also be sure that perches are adequately thick in diameter so the birds can perch naturally, that the diameters of the perches vary in size and that they are periodically soaked in a bleach solution (1part bleach, one part dish soak, 20 parts water. These birds should have a continuous supply of fresh water. Meal worms, seeds, soaked dog or kitten kibble and diced fruit should be scattered about the floor of the cage. Generally, these birds take one to two weeks longer to eat on their own in captivity than they would in the wild. Some will continue to beg when fully mature. Fledging, flight and self-feeding is the most stressful time in a bird’s life. They do not appear to enjoy it. Those that do not survive were often born star-crossed with defects such as unabsorbed yolk sacs, patent umbilicus (open belly button), respiratory infection or malnutrition due to a dry spring or large clutch. Some eggs also are not turned adequately by the hen either due to nest construction, the number of eggs present or a staggered hatch. These chicks are often born with leg and wing abnormalities. When these birds are ready to be released, they are best fattened up and released deep in a nature reserve where cats and children are not present. They will soon revert to their natural wildness.

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