Baby birds fell out of tree? Leave them or help them?And how do I keep birds from flying into my window?

Question

I actually have a couple of questions. My first is about the birds. They fly into the window all day long and my window has actually been broken twice this year. I tried putting decals and stickers on the window and it hasnt helped. And it doesnt matter if the curtains are closed or not. They still do it. I thought that if the curtains were closed then maybe it wouldnt look like an opening that they could fly through. Soooo wrong. My second question has to do with a couple of baby birds that I found in my yard. They look like Robins and have been on the ground since Wednesday. I havent seen the parents. I have heard that you shouldnt touch baby birds because it will make the parent abandon them. I dont know if it is true or not but I also dont know how much longer they can live if they stay on the ground. I am in south Mississippi and right now we are expecting Gustav to hit us next week and I am wondering if I should just take them inside and care for them. Another problem they face is snakes and some wild cats around here. They would be easy prey. Just let me know what you think I should do.

Answer 1

take them in and call aspca for feeding info or a place to take them

Answer 2

Take them in. Trust me, if they feel out of the nest, the parents wont care for them. ITs a miracle that they lived. Go consult a wildlife person near you about what to feed them, but in the meantime find worms in your yard, rinse the crushed worms in water (get them pretty soaked so that they babies get water) and feed it to them with a tweezer. If you cant find worms then you can buy them

Good luck

Answer 3

Decals aren't always enough for a window, depending on the way the sun hits it. Closing the curtains actually only makes it worse, because this amplifies the mirror effect that attracts them in the first place. I agree that getting a shade for the outside of the window is your best bet.

Touching baby birds doesn't make the parents abandon them, that's an old wives' tale, I've been in many situations in which I've had to handle baby birds and the parents always took them back without a fuss. If they have all their feathers, that means they're fledging, they probably jumped out intentionally and the parents will care for them on the ground while they learn how to fly--they'll be just fine, you needn't worry about them.

If they still have bare patches on some parts of their bodies, they aren't fledging yet--just put them somewhere high, like in a shallow basket tied to a low branch of the tree. The parents will see them or hear them chirping and come take care of them. Leave them out, and if the weather turns sour then you can bring them inside. You may want to stock up on canned cat food just in case--this is the best thing you can feed a baby bird, just tear off little bits and feed them with your bare fingers, I know some people say to use tweezers but tweezers have sharp ends and can hurt the baby bird's throat. Never feed them worms or milk. Once Gustav is gone, see if you can take them back outside; it's best to let the parents continue to raise them. If the parents don't come back or ignore the babies, then you take them to a rehabber.

Answer 4

Get a cheap bamboo type roll-up shade and place it on the outside of the window.  

That is old crazy talk that if you touch a baby bird the mom will reject it.  She may have rejected it already if it is on the ground.   It sounds like the babies are fledging - learning to fly.  They will spent 3 days learning and the parents still are feeding them.  If they have no feathers then you can help them.  I think parents are feeding them.

If not, You can put the babies into a bowl with soft paper towels in it and find a licensed rehabber.  Put the babies under a warm lightbulb or put a heating pad under them.  

Google 'licensed wildlife rehabbers' and find one in your state.

Answer 5

You should definitely, take them in and help them. They will starve to death if you don't or something is likely to kill them. I don't know about the window problem though.

Answer 6

Call a Vet-Tec and ask what to do!

Answer 7

ABOUT WINDOW BIRDS

I don't know how to help you here.

ABOUT BABY BIRDS

Just FYI, taking the birds in isn't such a good idea - they are born and adapted for wildlife and would not do well in captivity.

If the babies show no signs of being able to fly, I think you should try to put them back in the nest.  However, there is a chance the mother will not care for the chicks after human contact.

But if you leave them there and they show no signs of early flight, the chicks are stuck there.  This means they are more vulnerable to predators and are unavle to return to their nest independently and would not get taken care of.

I think you should take the chance to put the birds back in the nest if possible.

Not sure if the following will help, but I have a pair of domestic zebra finches that breed, and if a baby falls out, I reach in and put the chick back in the nest, and the parents don't mind.

Answer 8

Answer #1  Birds fly into windows because they can see things (trees bushes etc) reflected in them. Closing the curtains inside will not change that reflection. You can put some screening material over the glass to hide the reflection. (it will also help keep your house cooler)

Answer #2 Watch the babies, are they active and healthy looking? If so then the parents are nearby and doing their job. If the babies do not look very active and are sluggish. Call the local wildlife rescue group in your area for advice. The phone book and SPCA are good rescources for this.

Answer 9

To keep birds from flying into your window, maybe put a screen in so they see it's not see-through.  For hunger, get a bird-feeder, bird bath, and other bird-thingies for the birds.  Take the birds inside! Care for them! Take them to an animal hospital! Something!