What Kind of Bird?

[ioana]

How do you post pictures of your pjs? If the attacment is too large can I just insert it into the Email directly?

I found a baby bird yesterday and I would like someone to help me identify what kind of bird it is.

Also, if I raise a baby bird and later return it nearby its nest will the parents/siblings be able to recognize it? Thank you in advance for your help. ioana

[TAWhatley]

If you care to e-mail the picture to me at TAWhatley@sbcglobal.net, I will either resize it for you or put it up on my site and post the link here.

I'd say it's unlikely that the family of the little bird would recognize it after the amount of time it takes for it to grow up to the point where it can be released.

Terry

[TAWhatley]

Here's the picture of the bird .. looks like a young robin to me, but I'm not sure.

http://www.rims.net/BabyBird.jpg

Terry

[Pigeonpal2002]

I think it's a bluejay or some type of jay Where are you located Ioana?

[Pigeonpal2002]

Had to sign back on quickly...just remembered seeing the package of Kaytee exact in the background of the picture. If this is indeed a bluejay or another type of jay, Kaytee baby bird forumla is insufficient for this baby. They are omnivores, that eat more animal food sources. You will need to change the diet immediately. Let me know as soon as possible and I or Terry will suggest a better course of sustanance for this baby.

[ioana]

Please tell me what else to feed the little one (be as specific as you can...)
I live in Las Vegas. He/she has black feathers on the back and kind of brownish color on the chest, very long legs for the tiny body. It scream almost like a crow.

Tons of thanks to both of you!

ioana

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Ioana,

Yes, I am pretty sure it's a jay of some sort, not sure if you have blue jays or not in Las Vegas. Jays are members of the crow family. This bird needs to be on a dry dogfood. You have to soak the pieces and cut them up to give. Ideally, you should be making a "mash", that consists of the dry soaked dogfood, hard boiled egg pieces minced, and calcium powder. These types of birds need a lot of protein in their diet and it mostly comes from animal matter. Meal worms can be purchased at some pet stores and these too can be fed to the little one, dead. You may want to consider finding a rehabilitator in your area because these birds require more care than a pigeon and the diet is harder to replicate. The diet I have suggested is a basic diet for a jay but a rehabilitator would offer a more precise diet.

[ioana]

The little one is going to have a Fabulous Goumet dinner tonight, thanks to you!

ioana

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi again Ioana,

You're welcome...forgot to mention though, there should be a sprinkle of powdered avian vitamins in this mash you make for the baby.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi again Ioana,

Wet, canned dog food is just as good, maybe better than dry actually. I don't think it really matters but the mixture and or mash should be very moist. If it's too dry, add a bit more water to it. You want the mash to be very moist, well mixed and easy to feed. At this age, they get all their water intake from the food they are consuming. He's too young by the looks of it to be drinking on his own yet. Also, I think you can get crickets from the pet stores, you can offer these as well. Jays would normally eat a lot of insects in their diet because of the wonderful protein found in insects.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Ioana,

How's the Jay doing and how are the feedings going? Would be interested in hearing an update of sorts

[ioana]

The Baby is doing great, he/she is a great eater (or maybe I am a good cook, too
The boiled egg, the dry food soaked IN wet food -- I even added a small touch of unsweetened peanut buttter. It is so rewarding to see her doing well.

Thanks for all your suggestions and caring.

ioana

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Ioana,

That sounds very good, glad to hear things are working out better now for this young bird. Try to get some powdered calcium and avian vitamins as well to add to the food. These are very important for the bones and feathers of this species of bird. Probiotics are another essential that I forgot to mention and are universal in their effects. Thank you for the update and please post some new pictures when you can, hopefully we can identify this bird fully once it's a bit older

[pdpbison]

Hi Iona,


I too am in Las Vegas...

Say "Hello!" some time!

I would skip the 'Peanut Butter'...it can clog their little crops and present problems.

Good quality canned Water-Pack sardines, the "two layer" kind which then have a higher percentage of skin and scales to them, rinsed well, make a very good food for omnivore or carnivore Birds, in my experience anyway, and are a very decent approximation of 'insect' proteans, as, insects are in fact Animals who generally posess exoskelitans instead of endoskelitans.

Meal Worms are so-so at best I think, but can be raised or improved by one's buying them initialy in batches of five hundred or something, and letting them reside in a large bowl conrtaining nice slices of Apples or other fruits, and lots of Oat Meal.

What would be missing in canned Sardines, and to some extent in the Meal Worms, are the contents of live Plant eating Insects' intestines, which often contain chlorophyl and other important things, in making up for which, one may add some powdered 'Super Greens' to say, the surface of a ripe Pear, for the young Bird to peck, or, add it to little bits of ripe Pear or to the Sardine bits one is feeding them.

I never thought to try Meal Worms on seeing if they would in fact eat 'Greens' but next time I have such a Bird to raise, I will do so.

Jays I do not think are omnivores at all, but instead, I am thinking they are carnivors entirely, eating almost excluseivly live small insects of various sorts...even as Mocking Birds do.

Starlings seem to be somewhat omniverous, but are mostly carnivores I think...


Phil
Las Vegas

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Phil,

It depends on the species of jay....there could be some old world or foreign species that eat insects or animal proteins exclusively. Here in North America, blue jays, stellar jays, grey jays etc., will all eat plant matter as well. The love nuts, berries and certain vegetation in combination to the insects, small rodents, lizards and other animal matter. Starlings are mostly insects eaters, this is true...but in the lean months of winter, when I was feeding birds at my house, I used to attract quite of lot of them at the seed tray feeder in my backyard

Almost all crows, jays, magpies and other members of the corvidae family are opportunistic omnivores.