I Tried To Help This Bird.....

[Afra]

Yesterday, my friend found a tiny bird which looked like it was a wren of some kind. The bird was so tiny, it won my heart immediately.

I can't exactly say what kind of bird it was, but it had a brownish body, a white underside, and white lines on its tail.

The bird was found on the ground in the yard where the daycare children play, apparently suffering from a fall. It seemed fine when my friend handed it to me, except that I soon noticed that both of its feet were entirely curled up.

I did what I could for it; I put it in the carrier that I use for Francis, hoping to get a cage later on, and gave it wild bird feed with water. It just sat around and stared at us for a while, then laid it's head down.

I thought it was going to sleep, but then it laid part of its head in the water, which was kept in a small plastic lid that once belonged to a butter container. I watched it for a while and then wanted to try to hold it, but alas! When I picked it up, the head fell down on the chest. It was then that I realized that the bird had died.

I was terrified at first that we might have killed it, but I only wanted to help the bird. We were planning to let it fly away when it was older and stronger. My roommate said that the bird was probably sick from something we didn't know about. But I wonder to myself, "Did it's parents push it out of the nest and abandon it, or did it fall out on its own?"

I don't think this bird is a starling; it didn't look like one to any of us. Some of the children said he must be a finch. I agreed with that, and decided to look him up in a bird book.

What can I do next time I find a bird like this? I don't want the next one to die.

[TAWhatley]

Hi Afra,

I'm sorry the little bird died. Be aware that nestlings and fledglings that fall from the nest are sometimes very badly injured from the fall. The little one may have had broken bones and/or internal injuries that no matter what you did or didn't do, it still may have died.

Generally speaking, the best approach is to put the bird in a small box or container lined with an old towel or sweatshirt and provide it with supplemental warmth from a heating pad set on low or a low wattage heat lamp. You do have to be sure not to get the bird too hot but becoming chilled or cold can be deadly for baby birds. Also it is not advisable to have a container of water in with a baby bird. It is too easy for them to get wet and then become chilled. I am guessing that the little one you tried to help was not only badly injured but was still too young to be able to eat or drink on its own. Had it lived, you would have had to hand feed it for a time and this can also be extremely difficult with tiny little birds. Little songbirds are much more difficult to care for than pigeons and doves. They also have significantly different nutritional requirements when they are babies and do not do well on the things that we feed doves and pigeons.

The best approach is to keep baby birds warm, dark, and quiet while you locate a wildlife rehabilitator who has the experience and facilities to care for the little one.

Thank you again for trying to help this little bird.

Terry Whatley

[mike_m453]

Dont worry Afra you did the best you could it wasnt youre fault.Atleast you made the last moments of its life happy for the poor little thing.It died in peace.

[Afra]

I am glad that I was able to help the bird in some way; thanks for the advice; it is very much appreciated! The daycare children wanted to help me care for the bird and took turns keeping an eye on him just to make sure nothing happened. But no one suspected anything until I wanted to hold him.

[turkey]

I'm sorry the little bird was beyond help Afra. I'm glad you tried to help him.

Be sure to wash out your carrier with 10% bleach and 90% water, just to be on the safe side.

Julie

[Yvonne Allbritton]

I have successfully raised many fledlings and there have been some that haven't made it. I believe that sometimes the little ones fall from the next accidentally and then there are times when the mama bird, throws them out. Especially when they aren't well or retarded. If they eat well, they usually survive. And they are often very hungry by the time you find them. They best thing is to put them back in the nest, if possible. Otherwise, keep them warm and when they are hungry, the best food I've found, for all birds, is Kaytee Exact Baby Food for Birds. I have raised woodpeckers, blue jays, starlings, mockingbirds, doves and pigeons, and black birds on this food. Of course, as they grow, some prefer meat, bugs, etc. If you don't have a lot of time and a good place to release these birds, when they are grown, it is best to take them to a rehab establishment. You did good just trying to save this little bird.

[Emily]

Hi Afra,

I have a similar story from a few weeks ago...I was on my way home from school and found a baby sparrow on the ground. He had apparently fallen from a nest but there was no way to get him back up, so I took him home with me. He was very weak and his little head kept flopping all around. I fed him the same baby bird seed that I gave my pigeon when he was a baby, kept him warm, but the little guy didn't make it. I figure he probably had some internal injuries from his fall out of the next and could not be saved no matter what (I could actually see some bruises on his little body). It was very sad

All I can tell you is, at least we tried. So many people would have just left the little injured birds there to die. Like you, I kind of feel like maybe I could have done something more for him. But at least now he isn't in pain or hungry or scared.

I hope this helps.
Emily

[Afra]

Thank you all for your sweet replies. I hope that I will be better able to help another injured bird in a much better way, should one come my way.

By the way, we found two more of the tiny blue eggs I found a couple of weeks ago in our back yard again. A friend of my roommate's came over, saw what we were doing, and then said that they must be robin eggs. Since I have never seen robin eggs before, I couldn't really tell. But why do the robins in our yard lay their eggs on the ground instead of laying them in the nest?

[mike_m453]

Yes im sure Robin eggs are blue.I dont know why most Robins in my yard make nest's in trees.

[turkey]

It could be that the robin knew the eggs where unfertile. Just a guess.

Julie