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Question
Our Northern cardinals fledged this morning. The parents have gotten two of them into some nearby shrubbery. The third one is still on the ground, about 12 feet from the nest and 30 feet from its siblings. It doesn't seem able to fly. I'd leave it be (its parents are around, feeding it), but I am concerned it's injured. In the attached image, does its head look OK to you? Thank you!
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The best thing to do is leave it along. Cardinal babies leave the nest about 10 days before they are able to fly and parents take care of them on the ground. It looks fine to me. Missing feathers are not unusual. Everything seems perfectly normal here.
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| Comment | Thank you so much. When I looked for it again later last night, it was gone from its spot near the house, so I'm hoping it managed to catch up with the rest of its family (although there are a lot of snakes around this area, so I didn't like its chances!). | ||
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Answers by Expert:
Roger Lederer
Expertise
Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.
Experience
Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.
Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico
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