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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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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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If you find a baby bird...
Here are some common but difficult babies to identify.
To find an East Valley
Wildlife rehabilitator call 480-814-9339.
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
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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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