HELP!!! FOUND TWO BIRDS THAT FELL OUT OF MY TREE, what are they???

danielley101215

Crowing
May 4, 2017
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California
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Two baby birds fell out of one of my trees and we are trying to care for them. What kind of bird is this? We have no clue what they are. Sorta have weird beaks, the few feathers they have are like a brown / gray color. What kind of bird is this? Please answer soon.
 
Looks like a pair of baby doves. Since they're wild birds and, depending upon which species they are, may also be classified as game birds in your state, please contact your local wildlife department for advice on getting them to a proper wildlife rehabilitation center...it may actually be illegal for you to try and keep them even to help them, although I wouldn't blame you if you did.

Anyhoo, that said, baby doves are seed eaters. To feed them, get a box of budgie seed or finch seed (even some plain rolled oats will work in an emergency)...soak a bit of it in hot water and when it starts to soften, mash it a little bit with the back of a large spoon. Then very carefully pry their soft little beaks open a bit and see if they won't take a little of the sloshy mashed seed...just push a gob of it in with your finger. Once they get the idea, they'll peep and cry and wag their wings for more and you can probably feed them more mash with a syringe or just offer a spoonful of the stuff and they may push their beaks into it and gulp it down on their own...just be sure to hold the food above them. Another (messy) trick is to put some mash in your hand and make a fist and let the babies push their beaks into the 'hole' between your thumb and forefinger...this mimics how their parents would feed them, regurgitating cropfuls of partly digested grains while the babies thrust their beaks down the parents throats. I've pulled through baby pigeons this way and baby doves need the same care and diet, as far as I know. They're actually easier to care for than many baby birds because once their little crops are full of food, they'll be happy for some hours, and you can easily see when they're 'empty' again plus which they'll likely beg for more food as soon as they see you. Good luck whatever you do with them! They're cute little things and look pretty calm...a good sign for a bird you're trying to help.
 
They are likely mourning doves. If you can find the nest the best thing to do is put them back, the parents will care for them. It is a myth that if you touch baby animals the parents will reject them. If you can not find the nest the next best thing is to find a rehabber and take them there. If you are insistent to raise them yourself or can not find a rehabber get some hand feeding food for parrots. Most pet stores carry it. You can use a syringe(no needle on it) or even a very small spoon to feed them, but it isn't always easy and takes time to get the hang of for both you and the birds. The hand feeding food will be more complete in nutrition than a seed mix will be. In the wild birds eat a very large variety of foods, seeds, fruits, bugs and vegetation. Do not feed them water, they will get all they need from the food and you can cause them to aspirate the water by hand feeding it. But keep a shallow dish available for them. They likely will not drink it now as long as they are being fed. You can also put in a dish of seed mix they can pick at, but they are a little young to feed themselves at this point. But I always like to have some type of food around so the young birds can start picking at it when they are ready. Good luck, I really hope there is a rehabber around you. Raising orphaned wildlife isn't always easy and can be emotionally draining. But it is always nice to see them fly away in the end if all goes well. I just rehabbed a baby robin with a broken wing and released her a couple of weeks ago. I didn't think she would ever fly, but they are very resilient creatures.
 

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