Expert: Roger Lederer - 8/22/2007

Question
My daughter and I saw a small bird about a month ago. It was out of its nest, however we left it alone for about 36 hours. The next day,we checked the area and the bird was still there. We got a box and brought it inside. Our area is full of cats and dogs and other wildlife such as possums and raccoons and snakes. We went to a local feed store and bought a formula designed for birds, and we feed the bird with a syringe and/or eye dropper. A local bird shop identified it as a woodpecker. It originally looked as if its feet were deformed, but we have purchased a large cage and the bird is doing great and looking like its feet are normal. It hops around the cage but does not do alot of flying around. The local man told me if a wild bird wanted to fly or get out of the cage it would beat itself up trying to do so. We have taken the bird outside to see if it will call to relatives, but right now in South Louisiana it is very hot. We also lost alot of trees in Hurricane Katrina so there are not as many spots to go as before. My question is -should I release it as soon as possible, close to home or far away. We know an area about an hour from our home in Mississippi. Which would be better, or should we wait until it gets a little cooler, should we try to feed it something other than formula first -lots of questions. We did try to feed it meal worms, but it had a little bit of trouble with that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Pam

Answer
The best thing to do is release it as soon as possible where your found it. Young birds jump (not fall) out of their nest before they can fly and the parents take care of it on the ground until they can fly. It appears that you took the bird away from its parents who were nearby taking care of it. It won't call to its relatives because young birds instinctively keep quiet unless the parents are very close. The longer you keep the bird the more likely it will not survive in the wild. So my advice is to let it go as soon as possible exactly where you found it. Thanks for your concern.