Expert: Julia Booth - 7/25/2010

Question
My friends brother found a baby sparrow on the ground. We thought he was rejected or he fell out. We tried to put him back in the bird house, but it was to high for the ladder, and we couldn't reach it. We brought him inside and we are feeding him pieces of worms, mushy bread, and vitamin water. He is able to perch on our fingers, and he is almost fully feathered. We have had him for 4 days, and he is doing well. We were going to bring him to a wildlife rehabilation centre, but they would probably do the same thing we are doing. We also tried to him in a clear box in the slit of the tree, but the parents still wouldn't come and feed him. Should we nurse him till he's an adult?

Answer
"We thought he was rejected or he fell out."

This is an urban myth. Birds do not typically reject their young. If they do (which in 12 years of birding I have NEVER seen) there is something very wrong.

If this bird did fall from his nest, the BEST place for him to go would be straight back to the nest. As backwards as it may seem, he stands a better chance of survival there than in your care.

"...We are feeding him pieces of worms, mushy bread, and vitamin water."

Baby birds do not need to be given water, as they get all the hydration they need from their food. That is a very quick way to drown and kill a baby bird.

Worms are okay for sparrows, provided they have already been ground up or cut into smaller, more easily digestable pieces. Bread is not. Baby birds need protein rich, calorically dense food in order to grow so quickly in such a short amount of time. Bread is just carbs. In other words, wasted calories.

"We were going to bring him to a wildlife rehabilation centre, but they would probably do the same thing we are doing."

Not quite.

First of all, if your bird is perching and has all of its feathers, it is probably old enough to fledge or be released.

You've kept him alive for the past few days, and that's great. You're very generous to want to help this animal. But should something like this happen again, please take the bird to the wildlife rehab center instead. Because it sounds like you've just gotten lucky, and didn't research the suject very deeply, before embarking on your rescue. You could have just as easily drowned the little guy and I'm sure you would have felt terrible.

"Should we nurse him till he's an adult?"

No. There is no reason to do this. Not only is it illegal to keep a wild bird in captivity, unless you have a license, but sparrows only need two weeks of care from their parents. At that point, they are capable of feeding themselves.

This is a good resource for people in your situation:

http://www.wild-bird-watching.com/Baby_Birds.html


Good luck to you and Jimmy,


Julia