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We are busy in the
middle of baby
season.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can
help, send us an email.
info@eastvalleywildlife.org |
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| Be Patient We Are Busy! |
When calling to find a rehabber, have paper and pencil
handy, as you will reach a recording that gives a list of names and
phone numbers for you to call depending on the type of wildlife you
have found and the area where you live.
Remember, these are volunteers working out of their own homes and at
their own expense, plus they are often juggling work and family along
with rehabilitating wildlife. Your patience and understanding are
always appreciated.
It is up to you to get the injured wildlife to the rehabber--we do not
pick up wildlife, as it is impossible to leave the wildlife already in
our care unattended.
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Other AZ Wildlife Rescues |
 East
Valley Wildlife specializes in birds and small wildlife. There are
many additional rescue organizations that handle other wildlife and
domestic animals. For additional wildlife rescues in the greater
Phoenix area
click here.
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The female hummer builds a nest, incubates the eggs,
and raises the young as a single mom. 2 white eggs are laid and she
incubates them for 14-21 days depending on species.
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Hummingbirds are a
federally protected species. Our rehabbers are licensed and skilled to
handle injured and baby hummers and have the necessary equipment to
deal with hummingbirds. In most cases, in unskilled and
unlicensed hands the birds
do not survive.
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What To Do When Finding a Baby Bird
 BABY BIRD PHOTO/ID GALLERY
 CLICK HERE FOR AN ID SHEET ON COMMON BABY BIRDS IN THE PHX AREA
When discovering a baby bird on the ground, most people want to help but don't know what to do.
The old myth that touching a baby bird will cause the parents to reject it is false.
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Birds have a limited sense of smell so detecting human scent is not an issue.
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Here are some common but difficult babies to identify.
A baby bird can be returned to the nest without problem if the baby isn't cold, sick, or injured...
and you return him
to the right nest!
What is the most important thing to check for when finding a baby bird?
Make sure he is warm and alert!
| Renesting A Baby Bird |
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Certain birds can be renested easier than others. Doves have the best chance of being renested but grackle kids should always be rescued. Adult grackles will call out the entire Grackle National Guard to scream at anyone who comes close to a fallen youngster but they have little interest in taking care of a baby on the ground.
Sometimes the parent bird is trying to care for the baby on the ground but that can be dangerous because of predators. Getting the baby back to the nest is the ideal solution if the parents are still around. If the nest is destroyed, a natural fiber basket filled with dried grass will also work if hung in a protected place. Think "nest size" when making a selection...no laundry baskets, please. Plus the nest needs drainage in case it rains so plastic containers and cardboard boxes will not work. Also consider the protection the nest needs...it may look like a shady spot but will the afternoon sun hit it directly and bake the baby inside?
Wire or tie the nest to the branch so it won't blow out again during the next wind storm. Watch from a distance to make sure the parent returns to care for the baby. If the baby is very young and alone after dark, it needs to be rescued. |
| If the Baby is an Orphan |
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If the bird appears to be an orphan and cannot move around well, pick it up off the ground before cats, dogs, kids, hawks, grackles, or ants attack it. If you can pick the bird up easily, it's either injured or too young to be out of the nest and it does need to be rescued.
Never leave a compromised
bird
on the ground outside! |
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Keeping it on a heat source is essential...a heating pad (low setting), gel pack, or you can use a plastic water, milk, or orange juice container filled with hot water from the tap. If the bird is cold, it MUST have a heat source to get warm. Wrapping it in a towel or blanker or putting it in a warm room will NOT help. Don't put the bird in the sun as it will get dehydrated.
Keep all orphaned and injured wildlife warm with a heat source even in the middle of summer!
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| Temporary Food |
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If the baby songbird is warm, alert, and opening his mouth for food, chop up a hard boiled egg and feed small pieces. Soaked kitten kibble can also be used. A good quality kitten food such as Science Diet or Iams is best. Most baby birds need to be fed often throughout the day (sometimes every 15 miutes for newly hatched birds) but they don't need to be fed at night. Baby doves and pigeons don't gape for food. Mash up hard boiled egg yolk with water and feed drops along the outside of the bill. Strained chicken baby food (Gerber's, Beechnut) can also be used for temporary care.
Never squirt water down a bird's throat; instead put a drop of water along the outside of the beak and allow the bird to swallow on his own.
Baby birds need the right diet to grow strong and healthy- these foods are for temporary care only! |
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| Precocial Babies (covered with down and capable of moving about when hatched) |
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Precocial baby birds take longer to hatch but once they do, they're ready to follow mom (and sometimes dad) away from the nest. They can walk, swim (ducklings), and eat on their own. They're covered with soft down but still need to huddle under their parents for warmth for at least the first week.
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| Quail and Killdeer |
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These babies are very fragile...do not handle any more then necessary. They also eat on their own...do not try to force food or water into their mouths.
Keep extra warm (heating pad on medium). Finely crumble a hard boiled egg or shave the top of a broccoli floret for temporary food. Water needs to be in a SMALL jar lid with pebbles on the bottom; when these birds get wet, they crash fast.
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Stress is the Number One killer of wildlife...
keep all rescued birds in a warm, dark place in secure containment away from people, pets, and household noise.
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Nestlings
If you find a healthy nestling recently fallen from a nest (the bird
isn't cold, injured, or lethargic) the bird can be replaced in the
nest. It must be placed back into the right nest, however, or the
parents will reject it.
If the nest has been destroyed, a
substitute nest can be made from a small woven basket or plastic berry
basket lined with dry grass (the container must have drainage).
Wire the basket back to the tree in an area as close to the original
nest site as possible and the parent bird should continue to care for
her offspring.
Watch the nest carefully over the next few hours to
make sure the parent bird has found the new nest. If the baby bird is
cold, injured or cannot be returned to its nest, it must be rescued. |
Fledglings
Older baby birds who are starting to leave the nest and learning to
fly. They wind up on the ground and don't yet have the capability to
get back up into a tree. Fledglings can usually "flutter-fly" and hide
in bushes and ground cover until they can fly. If conditions are
suited to their survival (there is ground cover, bushes, or other
places to hide, and there are no obvious predators such as cats, dogs,
or curious children in the area) the bird should be watched to make
sure the parent bird is nearby. Parent birds do the best job of
raising their offspring, so it is desirable to keep the feathered
families together if at all possible.
However, fledglings that are injured, orphaned, or in obvious danger
from predators need to be rescued. |
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds need a special protein formula that researchers
have developed for our wildlife rehabilitators. Babies do
not survive on sugar water alone, which will result in
deformities and death. Sugar water will also get their
feathers sticky and damaged. The mother catches
hundreds of small insects to feed the babies as, like many
baby birds, they require lots of protein in their diet. The
young fledge in 18-29 days depending on species, food
supply, and weather conditions. They often sit on the side
of their nest for 2-3 days to exercise their wings before
fledging.
At about 10 days of age, and sometimes sooner, the
mother no longer broods the nestlings at night. She spends
more time catching insects, and she whisks in and out to
feed the babies. Rehabbers often get calls from concerned
people who think the nestlings have been abandoned when they
don’t see the mother on the nest anymore. Especially around
sunrise and sunset, unless these people stare at the nest
continuously for at least an hour, they will probably miss
Mom zipping in and out.
Baby hummingbirds make a sharp,
high-pitched sound when they're very hungry, but if Mom is
feeding them on schedule, they won't make any sound.
However, if the babies in the nest are crying for food, then
it's likely something has happened to the mother and
bringing the birds in for rehabilitation is advisable.
Hummingbirds may conserve energy by
going into a torpid state at night. Torpor is a sleep-like condition in
which their heartbeat slows down and their body temperature
can drop by 30 degrees. (Nesting mother hummers, however,
remain alert while they have eggs or babies to protect and
keep warm.) Torpor can also occur when a lack of food
coincides with dropping temperatures. This state can
last from 8 to 14 hours. When birds are found in this
condition, a slow warming to normal body temperature is
advised. Call a rehabber first. |
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