I found a baby sparrow and don't know where to take him?

Question

Ok so me and my sister found a baby bird today when we were walking. My mom had a hair appointment and while she was in the hair place me and my younger sister were headed over to Target across the street. On the way I spot a little lump on the sidewalk and out of the corner of my eye I saw it move. I croutch down and notice that it was a little baby bird that I believe is just a little sparrow. It's small too. It's not freshly hatched but it's pretty close (it may be a week or so old). I looked everywhere for a possible nest but there were no trees or anything and I couldn't see any nest anywhere. We picked it up and my older sister came to pick us up and take us to petsmart. They gave us all the equipment to take care of it for now. I just wanna know if I did the right thing by picking it up becuase it was out in the open and someone could have easily stepped on the poor little guy. I just don't think I'm very fit to take care of it but the people at petsmart said that where ever I take it depending on what kind of bird it is they would most likely kill it if its a common bird becuase it's not worth trying to help it. I'm afraid becuase I want to get it in the hands of someone who can take care of it, not kill it.

Answer 1

   the same thing happened to me last mounth but i found a browntrasher i kept it until it could fly then i the cage from the top of my carport it flu out and i see it every day know it comes by are house you feed it wild bird seeds and sugar water or you go to the nerest zoo and give it to them  or if you live in va go to bush gardiens and give it to them or go to the vet its up to you also type in sparrow sounds at google in play it it will tell if it is that bird

Answer 2

Firstly, don't take a Petsmart employee's advice on what to do with a wild bird. Wildlife rehabilitators don't kill animals just because they're common--they become rehabbers because they *like* animals, after all, and they do their best to make sure the animals in their care survive, regardless of whether it's an endangered spotted owl or a common crow. House sparrows are a little unique because they are an invasive species here in the US, but I do know that at least *some* rehabbers will care for house sparrows because I looked it up back when I took in a baby sparrow and was wondering what to do.

Now, I definitely think you did the right thing by rescuing the poor bird, but unless it has all its feathers in, it is going to be difficult to take care of. Difficult, but not impossible: I raised a baby house sparrow from the time she was only half-feathered, until the time she fledged and I released her. I'm glad you understand how hard it can be to raise a baby bird, and if you do decide to find a rehabber, there's a nice regional list at http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.... that should help you find someone near where you live. You can, of course, ask them if they will care for the bird; if it's a house sparrow it isn't illegal for you to keep it, so it's entirely up to you what you do with it.

If you do decide to keep the bird and raise it yourself, make sure you keep it warm (if it still has bare patches on its body--it can't fully regulate its body temperature until all the feathers on its back and belly have grown in). You can train a desk lamp over it, just put something between it and the lamp like a sheet of paper or a hand towel so it has some shade. I fed my baby crickets bought from a pet store, but this is extremely expensive--I think we spent a total of about 200 dollars--and a better alternative all around is to buy a high-quality canned cat food, and feed it little bits of that. If it's still so young that it gapes (opens its mouth wide when it sees you), aim the food toward the (bird's) left side (your right-hand side) of the bird's mouth; if you look down its throat you'll see it's divided down the middle; the (bird's) left side is the esophagus, and the right side is the windpipe. Don't feed it a seed-based formula; this works well for parrots, but most seed-eating birds (including sparrows) feed their babies bugs so they get protein and other nutrients, and wean them onto seeds about the time that they learn to fly. They need nutrients when they're young; just feeding them seeds isn't enough, as the only thing seeds contain a lot of is fat. Also note that you cannot feed the bird worms; sparrows don't feed their babies worms, and worms can carry parasites which can kill a baby bird.

Once it gets all its feathers in, you can start offering it seeds. It seemed like a long time before my bird would even pick them up, but eventually your bird will start to play around with them, and eventually, learn to shell and eat them.

What you do from there is up to you: my sparrow, Aleda, was a very feisty little thing, and seemed eager to go terrorizing the other house sparrows of the neighborhood. Your sparrow may not be so ambitious; rest assured that if you do decide to release him, his chances of survival are fairly high, especially if you have a bird feeder/bird bath where it can get food and water from. You don't absolutely have to let him go, though; there are actually a fair number of people who have pet house sparrows.

Good luck!

Answer 3

If the bird is fully feathered, it is most likely a fledgling and has left the nest on it's own and it's parents are caring for it. It is normal for birds to leave the nest before they can fly.   You need to replace it where you found it..preferably in a scrub or tree so it is relatively safe from predators, and the parents should come back to feed it.  If it is unfeathered...then look for a nest and if you can find it...replace it into the nest.  Do not worry about your scent being on the chick..birds have a very poorly developed sense of smell and will NOT reject a baby that has been touched.  If you cannot find a nest, get the bird to a local wildlife rehab for it's best chance of survival.  Also, keep in mind, it is illegal for you to try and raise this bird on your own.  Look for a rehab here:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact....

Answer 4

I went through the same exact thing, twice! The first time I found a nest and put the babies back. The second time, though, I found a baby bird in a parking lot, very similar to your situation. I picked it up and we took it home. I fed it crushed up worms, disgusting. That afternoon, I called my local animal control center and asked where I could take it. They told me a few places, and most of them "kindly" said, we will put it to sleep. I wanted this baby bird to survive so we ended up calling some older woman. She had like a bird sanctuary in her back yard. She said she would raise it and set it free. I asked her to send me pictures of the bird just for fun. A month later, I got one of the bird flying away. Good luck! And you did a great thing, you saved a life.

Answer 5

Call your local vet and see if there is someone who they know that will take birds.  I found a bird when I lived in Ohio and the vet told me of a "bird lady" who took in wild birds.  There may be someone in your area who will also take it.  You might need to call a couple of vets before you find someone.  Good luck!