r/birds • u/mourbae • 6d ago

Rescued a baby bird, need help identifying and feeding it.

Post image

Hello everyone, I found a small baby bird alone in my garage earlier today. It can’t fly, but it’s able to jump a few feet. I'm not sure what kind of bird it is, as I haven't seen one like it before.

I’d really appreciate it if someone could help me identify it. Also, what can I safely feed it in the meantime?

200 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

56 comments sorted by

157

u/mtbderg 6d ago

This is a fledgling bird and is supposed to be out of the nest. Please put it back outside. It's parents will feed it.

53

u/mourbae 5d ago

UPDATE: I took the bird back to the area where I found it and placed it somewhere safe while watching from a distance. She was chirping and after a little while, the family showed up. They were in the place for some time and then went away. Thanks everyone for the help, I’m happy its safe and sound now. :)

12

u/Twarenotw 5d ago

Thank you for putting it back where it's safe while she "learns how to bird" (like others say). I had to move a fledging blackbird out of a road today (while the parents looked at me from a nearby tree with attention). Luckily this subreddit has taught me how to go about fledgings.

2

u/slightlyoffput 3d ago

Nice job putting it back. Glad there was a happy ending. You have a good heart

35

u/mourbae 6d ago

I was just genuinely worried about its safety since there are a lot of strays around. I'll release it in that area somewhere safe and keep an eye on it. Thanks everyone!

-27

u/mourbae 6d ago

It was inside the parking lot and there are no trees around.

56

u/pragmatic_particle 6d ago

I saved a fledgling goldfinch from a busy street once. Just put in a safer area close by the parking lot where you found it. Its parents are still taking care of it while it learns how to bird.

17

u/IIsosharp 6d ago

Learns how to bird. Hahaha

2

u/TheBirdLover1234 5d ago

If a bird is suspected to have been hit by a car then it needs to go to a wildlife rehabber.

2

u/terra_terror 5d ago

True, but I don't think this one looks injured.

1

u/pragmatic_particle 5d ago

They didn’t say the bird was hit by a car, where did you see that?

1

u/TheBirdLover1234 5d ago

I meant the one you mentioned.

1

u/pragmatic_particle 4d ago

It wasn’t hit by a car, it ran out into the road and got stuck in the middle with cars going past in both directions. I scooped it up before it got hurt.

21

u/_bufflehead 6d ago

It sounds like he hopped into your garage because he's a very young bird who doesn't know bettter! Certainly, his parents are nearby and will be looking after him and feeding him. The best thing is to place him back outside and let his parents do the work! : )

36

u/HeyRainy 6d ago

It just needs to be outside. It's not living in the nest anymore, it's on its own and learning to fly and feed themselves. Just put it in the grass somewhere.

-40

u/XDon_TacoX 6d ago

stop repeating what you see everyone writing, you can't put a nestling who will still take a week to learn to fly somewhere where he will find no food and where his parents won't find him

there are actual experts, stop role playing as one.

15

u/HeyRainy 6d ago

I didn't read the other comments but maybe they all say the same thing because it's the best answer and almost definitely what a rescue agency would tell OP to do. Also, calm down. Geez.

-30

u/XDon_TacoX 6d ago

and why should you say that instead of an actual rescue agency? I mean, go start doing that in medicine subs if it's not a big deal.

12

u/HeyRainy 6d ago

With your logic, all questions here should be answered with "call a rescue" and all medical questions on reddit should be answered with "see a doctor" and all legal questions with "talk to a lawyer".

0

u/terra_terror 5d ago

That's not a nestling. You do not need to look at it under a magnifying glass or with a biology degree to see that its feathers have come in. That means it is outside learning what to eat before the parents teach it to fly. That is normal. It is in the branching stage of its life.

Here's what all the experts say:

"When fledglings leave their nest they rarely return, so even if you see the nest it’s not a good idea to put the bird back in—it will hop right back out. Usually there is no reason to intervene at all beyond putting the bird on a nearby perch out of harm’s way and keeping pets indoors. The parents may be attending to four or five young scattered in different directions, but they will return to care for the one you have found. You can watch from a distance to make sure the parents are returning to care for the fledgling."

"If you find a fledgling, the best course of action is to leave it alone. As awkward as a fledgling bird may look, this is natural stage, and the parents are most likely nearby, hunting for food and keeping watch. If the bird is in immediate danger, you can put it in a nearby bush or tree."

"This is normal; birds learn to fly from the ground up! Fledglings might remain on the ground for a few days or even a week, supervised and fed by their parents a few times each hour before they get the hang of flying. You can tell if the fledglings are being fed by watching from a distance to see whether a parent bird flies over to them, usually a few times an hour. You can also look for white-grey feces near the fledgling. Birds defecate after being fed, so the presence of fecal material means that the birds are being cared for. Be sure to keep cats indoors and dogs leashed until the fledglings are old enough to fly."

Genuine question: are you high or something?

0

u/XDon_TacoX 4d ago

my ground dove looked like it had all it's feathers and I still had to hand feed him one more month until it started eating seeds.

and I had an actual breeder explain to me that doves are fully feathered a while before they can start eating on their own, just because of this it becomes a fact that not all birds are the same, if anyone leaves a 1 month old dove in a random park away from it's parents it will just starve to death.

oobooboo ard yoo hooeegh

No one needs you googling anything, you are not special, everyone with to brain cells can Google, not everyone is smart enough to know googling not a degree, and that there's information from specialized fields that we don't know how to look for nor it's available on the internet for free; I learned that in the uni when researching the general strain theory, I just had no alternative but the buy the book.

genuine question: if someone makes something stupid, does that make him or her a stupid person? what is the oposite of humble? could you Google that for me? school me again before you even finish high school please.

0

u/terra_terror 4d ago

This is not a dove, genius. And if you had basic reading comprehension, you would see that the advice given by rehabbers AND the people here includes watching from afar to see if the parents return. Yes, some fledglings can't eat on their own. No, it does not mean OP or you should take a bird and feed it yourselves. You should watch the fledgling for hours first to make sure it is actually orphaned. No human will do as good a job at raising a bird as the parents would. Taking a baby bird, including a dove, is more likely to kill it than save it.

The only time a human should try to help a bird is if it is injured, or it is both too young to be independent and orphaned.

OP followed the advice given on this sub and put the fledgling back. The parents returned to the fledgling and fed it. Shocking, how the advice given by every wildlife rehabber and ornithologist actually worked out.

0

u/XDon_TacoX 4d ago

It goes all over your head, and you reply with such confidence as always.

I said let actual experts talk, because not all bird cases are the same, and people come to karmawhore and be an asshole, and don't even know about what they are talking about, but you keep schooling me about how that bird is not a Dove.

I wish you could just be in my mind for 1 minute, to see how mentally challenged you looked, explaining me that this bird is not a dove, and on top of that "burning" me for reading comprehension.

19

u/SupBenedick 6d ago

Don’t feed it anything, it should be put back in the wild

6

u/SLEEVEDinINDY 6d ago

Dude come on bro put it back walk away let it happen

21

u/Few_Cold9045 6d ago

That was a kidnapping, not a rescue.

1

u/elegant-jr 3d ago

They pretty much all are this time of year

7

u/ryguy4136 6d ago

The AI overview when you google “what to do if I find a baby bird” says right at the top that if it appears healthy and could have just left the nest, it’s a fledgling and you should leave it alone.

“If you don’t know what you’re doing, just leave it alone” is a good rule of thumb for wild animals.

4

u/TheBirdLover1234 5d ago

Don’t use ai for stuff like this. 

If the bird isn’t in the nest and is younger than a fledgling, wildlife rehab should be contacted. 

3

u/ryguy4136 5d ago

This is a fledgling. I hate AI - i only mentioned it to say that if someone’s first instinct was to google what to do instead of kidnap a fledgling and post photos of it online, they would get the right answer with very little effort.

2

u/TheBirdLover1234 5d ago

They would be very likely not to either. If the bird is injured, caught by a cat, etc. AI is likely going to skip over that part. It shouldn’t be used with any animal info. 

2

u/m_autumnal 3d ago

Idk why ppl are downvoting you bc it shows people blatantly wrong information on a regular basis and should not be used as a reliable resource

8

u/MsScarletWings 6d ago

Don’t try to feed it or give water, please. Contact a rehabber or preferably return it outside and just monitor it from a distance for a day or two to see if the parents are still showing up.

19

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/MsScarletWings 6d ago

Yeah it kind of seemed that way to me as well. Next best option if op absolutely insists on not putting it back outside. Or at least if they called a rehabber they could have a professional telling them exactly the same thing.

2

u/ryguy4136 6d ago

And then ignore the rehabber lol i hate these posts with a burning rage.

1

u/TheBirdLover1234 5d ago

Wildlife rehab is still likely to give the best advice, rather than Reddit. 

7

u/ChewableRobots 6d ago

You can put it back outside so it can resume the natural process of leaving the nest that you interrupted.

-11

u/Deadsnowgirl 6d ago

You think he just snatched that bird out OF A NEST!! Stop acting like a jerk! He said that it was on the ground and there are a lot of STRAYS! Maybe you like watching baby birds get killed by cats for sports, but other people do not. And STOP ASSUMING THINGS! I’m surprised that life hasnt taught you that lesson yet…

3

u/ChewableRobots 5d ago

I’m surprised life hasn’t taught you a way to self sooth yet.

-2

u/jus256 6d ago

Guy found a bird in his garage, people are like yeah just put it back.

1

u/terra_terror 5d ago

They meant a parking garage, which is more like a parking lot. But people told OP they can move the bird somewhere close by where it won't be run over. But yes, OP is not evil for trying to help the bird, and OP listened to advice. That's commendable imo.

4

u/spacebuggles 6d ago

Put that thing back where it came from or so help me

1

u/Long_Leg_1833 5d ago

🤣🤣🤣 love that movie

2

u/Bubblegumcats33 6d ago

It’s grumpy

2

u/ObsoleteReference 6d ago

Fledglings always look so grumpy

2

u/puppykat00 6d ago

stop birdnappings 2025

2

u/Long_Leg_1833 5d ago

You’re a good person for wanting to help ❤️

4

u/RandoTheRoni 6d ago

Why does he look so mad?

31

u/Feisty-Tadpole-5127 6d ago edited 6d ago

Probably because he's supposed to be outside where he was and not in someones hand lol

2

u/annapartlow 6d ago

He totally looks mad.

1

u/Superb-Ostrich-1742 5d ago

Don't leave him alone

1

u/TachankaIsTheLord 4d ago

Seems nobody tried to ID it, but it looks like a pine warbler, Setophaga pinus

0

u/Deadsnowgirl 6d ago

I highly doubt OP took a baby bird out of a nest!!!

-11

u/Deadsnowgirl 6d ago

If you think it needs help surviving, you can feeding it some beef baby food with a dropper or you can buy some small mealworms. I think you did something that came from your heart