Should I contact anyone about this baby bird?

Question

I found a baby bird out front. It was just flopping around and about to go in the street. I got out an old hamster cage, put the baby in it (with water,shavings, etc..) and brought it around back. To make a long story short, the mother bird found it and she comes into the backyard under my porch, and hops into the cage and feeds the baby. I have had people tell me how unusual this is and they said I should contact a college or somewhere that studies birds and let them know that this is happening. They said the fact that the mother even coming close to the baby after I became involved is unlikely and the fact that we are "sharing custody" (I bring it inside at night so it will stay warm and safe from predators) is even more rare. I will keep doing what I'm doing if it is the right thing to do. Please let me know what you think. Thanks. - Lisa

The cage is open - the bird can hop out - it has. And the parents come into the cage to feed the baby. The bird still cannot fly. After a while on the ground, I put it back in the cage (not a bird cage - a bigger one with an open door that it can perch on) because it was getting dark. The parents come every day. I am NOT trying to keep this bird. What I am doing isn't illegal. I am only bringing it inside at night because it has been getting really cold and it doesn't have its mother in the nest giving her body heat. I keep it right next to where it is during the day and the parents can watch it and not worry about all the predators in the woods behind me that would definitely kill it. I was just told to see if a college was interested because from what I have been told, it was unusual to keep in contact with a bird in cooperation with its parents. If it is not unusual to help as I have been - then my question has been answered. I will continue to help until it flies away.

Answer 1

youre doing fine as long as the parents know where the baby is , the baby is actually getting ready to fledge and will stay on the ground for a week or so but the parents will feed it during the day and stand gaurd , its fine birds dont smell so thats a myth as long as the parents feeding it keep doing what youre doing and soon enough baby bird will take its first flight and never look back

Answer 2

Let the bird go..put it back near where you found it (obviously not in the street), the mother is caring for it. NO, this is not unusual at all..this is how birds care for thier young. Every parent bird on the planet does this. This bird is a fledgling, and needs to be cared for by it's parents until it can fly. You removing the bird each night may cause the parents to abandon the baby and it will have less of a chance to survive..you may in fact cause the bird to die...do NOT keep taking it in at night. Put in outside in a place where it is relatively safe from predators in a tree or scrub, and keep your pets inside (if you have any) until the birds leave the area. It is an old wives tale that birds will abandon their chicks due to humans touching them, bird have a poorly developed sense of smell.

Answer 3

It's not unusual for a mother bird to continue caring for her offspring after you've been involved. It is a common misconception that birds will "abadon" their young if held by a human because our "scent" is on it. Birds have a very poor sense of smell and could care less what their babies smell like. They identify they babies based on visual and audio cues.. so as long as her baby continues to vocalize, she'll continue to find it and feed it. You needn't bring the bird in at night - it stays warm just fine on its own and chances are (depending on your location) your house is actually much colder and draftier than outside.

Answer 4

Wow. Thank you for being a caring person. I have always heard once a baby bird is in contact with us, the mother won't go near it. So, this is a rare incident. I would keep doing what you are doing and I bet Mom bird, will show it how to fly and it will take off soon. Just don't let any predators near the cage. Good luck.

Answer 5

I would let the bird out of the cage and let the mom do with it what she would be doing normally.

Answer 6

It was good of you to save the baby bird from getting killed in the street, but now you need to do the right thing and let it go, so its mother can take care of it.

Baby birds fledge (leave the nest) before they can fly. They need to hop around on the ground, climb low branches and exercise their wings until they have strengthened them enough for flight. The parent birds continue to feed and care for the fledglings until they are self-sufficient.

As you can see by the fact that the mother is caring for the baby even though you have it in a cage, the mother bird will not reject the baby just because you handled it - that is an urban legend, a myth. Birds do not have an acute sense of smell, so the mother does not even know that you have handled the baby. Release it now, so it can learn from its mother how to survive as a wild animal. By keeping it and taking it indoors at night, you are making a pet of it and it will never learn how to survive in the wild. Also, by keeping it in a cage, it will never learn to fly properly.

In addition, in the US, all native migratory birds are protected by federal lw (the Migratory Bird Treaty Act), and it is illegal for you to have this bird unless you have the proper permits.

As you can see on this website http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/birds/feathers.htm :

Anyone desiring to possess migratory birds or their parts or products should be aware that all of these are covered under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16U.S.C. 703-712), which implements a series of international treaties designed to protect migratory birds.

Some key provisions of the Act are worth keeping in mind:

Wording of the Act makes it very clear that most actions that result in "taking" or possession of a protected species or its parts or products is a violation of the Act. Specifically, the Act states:
"Unless and except as permitted by regulations, …it shall be unlawful at any time, by any means, or in any manner…to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, …possess, offer for sale, sell, …purchase, import…any migratory bird, any part, nest, or eggs of any such bird…"
It is a "strict-liability" law, meaning that there is no requirement for law enforcement agencies to prove "intent" to violate the law. That is, if you are found in possession of a protected species or its parts or products, you are automatically in violation of the law.
The provisions of the Act are nearly absolute; "...except as permitted by regulations ..." is the only exception. Some examples of permitted activities that do not violate the law are legal hunting of specific game birds, legitimate research activities, display in licensed zoological gardens, and bird banding under an appropriate permit.
The Act covers the great majority (83%) of all native birds found in the U.S. Many of the species not covered by the Act are covered by the Endangered Species Act , other Federal laws, or state laws, many of which are as stringent as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act . In the lower 48 states, all species except the house sparrow, feral pigeon, common starling, and non-migratory game birds like pheasants, gray partridge, and sage grouse, are protected.
Penalties upon conviction can be severe. Even if a sympathetic jury finds that you meant no harm in trying to rear an abandoned nestling or in picking a hawk feather, legal defense costs are clearly not worth the risk.




If the baby bird is not flying because it is injured (as opposed to not flying yet because it still hasn't quite mastered flight), you need to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. You can find one here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

These people have the specialized training to care for sick, injured and orphaned wild animals. They also have the required state and federal licenses that allow them to keep the animals until they are healthy enough to be released back into the wild.




Edit - actually, what you are doing IS illegal - to have a native migratory bird in your possession (and that is what it is called when you have it in a cage inside) is illegal. It is also interfering with the bird's development. It does NOT need its mother to keep it warm, it is a fledgling that is supposed to be out of the nest, learning how to fly and to care for itself, which it will not be able to do if you keep taking it inside every night.

Answer 7

I think that what you've done is admirable. Obviously this baby bird would have died, either through accident or predators. It does seem unusual, and if you have a school nearby that has courses in ornithology, it might be of interest to them. Your bird may someday fly away, or it may stay with you for some time. Nice that you cared.

Answer 8

let the poor thing out of the cage
mother feeding it is usual but your involvement could put fledgling in peril

let it out
if it dies it dies
its survival of the fittest
mother nature can be cruel sometimes

Answer 9

Why do you need to a contact some one. A lost bird is no big deal. I f you like the bird then keep it. Take it out of its cage occasionally. Maybe it will just fly away when it is older.