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Baby bird at Witter Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Author
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Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
BABY BIRDS
One of the most common calls I get involve rescuing baby birds. Many do not really need rescuing and taking them out of their environment does more harm than good. Birds are one of the hardest creatures to care for and babies even more so.
Baby birds eat every 15-60 minutes from sunrise to sunset. Most will eat their weight in food every day and eliminate almost as much as they eat. This makes it almost impossible for a human to fill in for bird parents as a caregiver. Parents not only feed the babies but also remove waste from the nest to keep it healthy. Nestling are extremely fragile and super sensitive to temperature changes before they grow their feathers.
Well-meaning animal lovers inadvertently account for numerous baby bird deaths by “rescuing” babies that do not need help. Most birds fledge (leave) the nest several days before they can fly. The parents feed and protect the babies during this time as they teach them how to find food for themselves. This is a very important time in the development of a young bird and taking it away from these survival lessons can cause it more harm than good. Assume that a bird on the ground that has feathers is supposed to be their even if it cannot fly. If you watch it for a while you will very likely see it visited by either or both parents within an hour or two. If you feel the bird is in danger, placing it in a shrub is a better solution than stealing it from unseen parents.
Contrary to popular belief human scent on a baby will not prevent a mother from continuing to care for it. Featherless babies can be replaced in the nest if you know where they came from. Nest in bad locations can even be moved if they have to and most times the mother will accept the new location. If you do have to move a nest make sure it is placed out of the direct sun and weather where it will drain.
Cats kill millions of birds per year and have had a dramatic impact on the songbird population. In rural Wisconsin alone cats accounted for over 39 million bird deaths.
There are community education programs currently underway to try and educate people to the need of keeping cats indoors. Not only to protect native wildlife but studies have determined indoor cats live more than twice as long as outdoor cats
Cats are not alone in decimating bird populations. Humans account for an enormous number of bird deaths every year. Birds striking windows result in a multitude of deaths and concussions every day. Window hazards can be partially prevented in a number of ways. Selecting locations for bird feeders either very close to windows, a few inches to three feet or place them very far from windows. The ones close to the window assure that birds leaving the feeder do not have enough time to build up sufficient speed to hurt themselves if they inadvertently fly into the window. The ones located far away from windows reduce the likelyhood birds visiting and leaving the feeder find windows in their flight patterns.
If you have one window in particular that seems to be hazardous to birds your can hang ribbon or tape every 2-3 inches in front of it to help warn birds away. Hawk silhouettes in windows also help but research has shown that moving objects are more effective deterrents.
Many birds that do strike windows and fall to the ground simply have their bell rung and will recover after they regain their senses. If an unconscious or dizzy bird is in immediate danger place it in a dark quiet location for a few hours and it may well be fine.
One of the more interesting aspects of bird biology is the fact that their large wing bones are hollow and pneumatically connect to their lungs. When treating a broken wing bone we have to avoid getting fluid in the bone as it can drown the bird. Apparently they get added power utilizing air pleasure from the lung to help the muscles that operate wing action.
THE LAW AND BIRDS
All migratory birds are protected by state and federal law. This includes all birds that do not have a listed hunting season except for starlings and sparrows which are not native birds. It is against the law to kill a migratory bird or even have it in your possession. They cannot be captive pets without a permit or license.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
