Wild baby bird fell from nest!!!!

[chickenmama109]

Hi, my sister has a nest of wild birds living under her carport and the baby birds fell out and the mama is not there anymore. They have feathers but cant fly yet. She is going to try and put them back in the nest with some gloves on but will the mama bird come back? How long should she wait for the mama bird to come back before taking them in and trying to feed them. Is there anything else she should do.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Bird identification would be really helpful before she does anything else. With many birds, such as robins and barn sparrows, the babies leave the nest before they can fly. They simply get too large and hop out. The parents still feed them, and try to chase off predators, but the babies don't go back into the nest.

Gloves are unnecessary. Birds have a sense of smell not much better than a human's.

 

[Eggscaping]

The best thing to do if the nest is still there is put the babies back. The mother can not smell people on them (that's an old myth) and should come back to feed them. If the nest isn't intact, she can try using a small basket or box which may work...the parents really want to respond to the babies' chirping. Do wear gloves, most wild birds have mites or lice but they don't live on people...only on birds. But still, use gloves.
If the parents don't come back and start feeding them within a day, then best thing to do is try to call a wildlife rescue place if you have one. Baby birds have to be fed SO often that it's a challenge to raise them. One thing though...since both house sparrows (used to be called English sparrows) and starlings are invasive, rehab places such as Audubon won't take them. I speak from experience, having worked taking care of baby birds as an Audubon volunteer. Also, if the babies have "fledged" they will be out of the nest and the parents will still come back to take care of them until they can fly. Good luck!

 

[Bat]

If there are no predators such as your cat or your chickens, leave them - as posted above, a lot of birds leave the nest before they can fly. Wildlife rehab/rescue get overwhelmed this time of year with well-meaning folks bringing in birds that ought to do just fine - get them into a hedgerow or bush and keep pets away.

 

[keesmom]

If there are no predators such as your cat or your chickens, leave them - as posted above, a lot of birds leave the nest before they can fly. Wildlife rehab/rescue get overwhelmed this time of year with well-meaning folks bringing in birds that ought to do just fine - get them into a hedgerow or bush and keep pets away.

I would follow this excellent advice.

 

[chickenmama109]

Thank you everyone. I will see how they are doing. I have one more question, if they jumped out on purpose would they be wondering around or would they just stay put? Thank you all for the advice I appreciate it

 

[Bat]

Thank you everyone. I will see how they are doing. I have one more question, if they jumped out on purpose would they be wondering around or would they just stay put? Thank you all for the advice I appreciate it

I’m no bird genius but knowing what I know about chickens, either way they’d be wandering about. A lot of new information to absorb, fear, uncertainty. They’re damned if they do, damned if they don’t. Just gotta find some food, shelter etc. If they feel safe doing so - they’ll be strolling around like it’s nothing big.