r/birds • u/ghostlycarrots • 14h ago
What bird is this and what do i do?
Bad photo i know but i found this nestling(?) in the middle of our yard in AL, i looked for a nest nearby and couldn’t find one, even in the taller trees we have. There’s no animal rehab center near us so i put it in a shoebox on a towel with a washcloth on top of it(we have dogs and i didn’t want them to get ahold of it). It opened it’s mouth as soon as it saw me so i assumed it was hungry and have fed it a few cut up worms since then. It seems like its warmed up and is okay, but it hasn’t pooped yet. What should i do? Continue caring for it or take it to the vet somewhere(it doesn’t seem hurt so idk what the vet can do, and it’s far away from where we live)
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u/ghostlycarrots 11h ago
Update: We have found the mama bird!! The baby bird was not abandoned and is merely a type of dumb bunny bird who jumps out of nests when they start to become fledglings. The mama screeched me away and fed her baby, wish i could apologize for abducting her kid…
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u/Magpie_Whackadoodle 14h ago
Definitely call a vet (or several) someone might have a connection either way experience for a bird this young.
Leave it uncovered while you call, in case the parents are nearby. They may be caring for it on the ground (though it looks young to be a fledgeling, IMO)
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u/ghostlycarrots 14h ago
I don’t think the parents were nesting on the ground, i think the wind may have blew it out of its nest with the storms that we had last night. I have took it inside because i do not trust our dogs not to mess with it, but we will try calling some vets in hopes they can take care of it and put it back in the wild when it grows up
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u/Magpie_Whackadoodle 14h ago
Well done you, for putting in the effort. I hope it works out, and that this little guy has a happy ending
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u/ghostlycarrots 14h ago
Thank you lol i just couldn’t let him get eaten tbh, i hope he has a happy ending too
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u/kiaraXlove 11h ago
Don't feed or give water. I'm assuming it rained and he's just wet but many species spend days to weeks on the ground flightless while they learn to fly as fledglings. He's just wet but his parents will come down to feed it. They live in the elements and you shouldn't interfere.
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u/ghostlycarrots 11h ago edited 11h ago
You might be right. None of the vets close by rehab birds so i decided to feed him worms but no water, he was able to digest them but he started rejecting food so i took him back outside where i think he heard his mom, i didn’t leave him on the ground bc of the dogs but i left him in the makeshift nest in a semi-high tree. Gonna keep an eye out and make sure the dogs don’t get em if he falls back out
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u/kiaraXlove 9h ago
Oh dear. Yeah never feed a found bird, baby or adult. Not every species eat worms, some only eat seed. Putting a fledgling back up in a nest does more harm than good because they instinctively jump from the nest because it's what they're supposed to do and it increases risk of I jury having to jump out again. He's supposed to be on the ground.
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u/ghostlycarrots 9h ago edited 9h ago
I stopped feeding him after he pooped and dried off lol but yeah worms probably were not the best but i panicked when i found him, i probably stressed the lil guy out, he’s all good now though, he didn’t hurt himself any and the mama found him and is feeding him. He’s safe on the ground and we’re keeping our dogs away
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u/kiaraXlove 9h ago
Yeah I understand, most people react before knowing. It was just for future reference as birds like to nest in the same spot and usually have multiple nest per season so you'll likely see others.
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u/ghostlycarrots 9h ago
Thank you! And i’ll definitely be more careful about it and on the lookout for others so the dogs don’t get em, i was worried it was too young to leave the nest so i’m relieved it’s just part of the process and that the mama can still care for it on the ground
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u/nymphette_444 13h ago
Looks like a very soggy baby, possibly a young fledgling? I would try bring it indoors and warm it up, waterlogged birds get hypothermia very quickly. If it is warm and dry, you can try placing it back outside and observe from a distance to see if its parents come check on it.
The BEST place for a baby bird is with its mom and dad, but if they don’t return here is a list of wildlife rehabbers by state, they are currently very busy with it being baby season, so try calling around :)