Very young sparrows!?

Question

Hanging in a dead plant hanging basket ON MY PORCH! Apparently the sparrows enjoy my company. Five little babies are up there,completely silent...

and that's what worries me.

I've never seen silent baby birds. I took the nest down thinking the eggs had gone dead (I hadn't heard anything and I hadn't seen the parents there). And what do I see? Five little slightly feathery heads poking at me,mouthes wide open,wiggling all over the place.

So,I immediately put them back up-thankfully the sparrows aren't bothered by my scent,apparently,because I took it down accidentally once before (when I had no idea there was a nest up there and the little ones were still eggs).

The fact they made no noise worries me,though. Could it simply be they're too young? but as I said... I've never heard of a baby bird that wasn't loud and annoying. ^^

Good point,first answerer. I didn't think of the finches. They're certainly finch size (I've seen the parents countless times) and they're pretty close as far as coloration goes. No red,but a bit of orange striping on their faces.

Answer 1

It's a natural response to a possible predator. I spend a lot of time bush walking and bird watching. Chicks in a nest are meant to be quiet when the parents aren't around. Otherwise they are alerting predators to their location, and then the poor chicks would become somethings lunch. They only start peeping and gaping when they think thier parent are there, and the contest to be first fed begins. Don't worry about them. They are just acting as nature intended.

Answer 2

Leave them alone, the mother is feeding them, if they are growing. They don't make noise until the mother comes close with food. They may not be sparrows, they probably are house finches, which love to build in hanging baskets. They look the same as babies. Watch from afar, and you probably will see sparrow sized bird coming to feed the babies, that have some red on them.