Expert: Julia Booth - 8/9/2008

Question
I found a baby mourning dove outside my front door this afternoon--not
sure if it can hop yet (it still has just pinfeathers), but it was peeping and I
think the parents might have been around so I left it alone.

Earlier this evening (still 2 hrs of light left), I came back home in a huge
downpour, and saw that the baby was drenched, thrashing a little on the
sharp-edged rocks.  It had stopped peeping and was just shivering with its
eyes closed.  

I couldn't help myself, I brought it in and warmed it in my hands and made a
cup-shaped nest for it to rest in under a heat lamp.  As soon as the
downpour stopped, I took the nestling back outside, placing it back on the
ground and under the eaves, next to the open area where I found it.

My question: Is it better to leave it outside overnight (I'm worried about 60
degree low temp, more rain, and cats) and hope the parents will come back
to it in the AM, or would it be better off if I bring it in overnight and take it to
a wr in the AM? Or bring it in overnight and take it back out there before
dawn?

Answer
My first advice would be to try and locate the nest. Doves nest in low trees, shrubs and planters, and sometimes even on the ground. If you can't find the nest, move on to plan B.

Contact your local wildlife rehab. This is not the same as animal control, nor are they affiliated with the police. If you cannot locate yours, give me your zipcode and I will get you the information.

Plan C is doing the rehab yourself. Doves are wild, but also domestic and can be handfed. It would be a 5-10 day commitment, seeing as they fledge around 2 weeks anyway and it sounds like he's already halfway there. The thing is, that baby birds need to eat an average of every 70-90 minutes. So that can be a lot of work.

Here's a good site on what to do when you find a baby bird: http://aviary.owls.com/baby_bird.html

And one on the handfeeding of doves: http://www.diamonddove.com/Q&A/FeedingBabyDoves.html