Expert: Roger Lederer - 7/10/2007

Question
HI
last night i went to my barn (where we have about 20 wild swallows nesting) and i found a baby on the floor.  i was going to put it back in the nest  but wen i looked up there was a GIANT black snake up in the rafter, which i suspect ate all of the other babies because all of the other nest were empty too.  i left the baby on the floor for the night but in the morning it was still there and alive nd all of the adults seemed to have left.  what should i do with it, it is starting to get its adult feathers and is probly about 1-2 wks old   should i just leave it to die or be eaten or would it hav a chance if i took it in and fed it.

Answer
Baby swallows and many other birds jump, not fall, out of their nest before they are able to fly. Parents feed them on the ground until they can fly. Leave it be. It has a much better chance on the ground being cared for by its parents than being fed by a human. It is VERY difficult to care for a baby bird. But thanks for your concern.