If you spend a lot of time outdoors during the summer months, sooner or later you may come across a seemingly helpless and abandoned nestling lying on the ground. If you decide to take it and raise it, you need to prepare to release it when it has grown.
Steps
Step 1. Make sure it can fly
Before you can release it, the bird must be able to fly; once it has fully developed its plumage (reaching the age of adolescence), you should move it to a cage with perches, where it can practice fluttering from one to the other. When he reaches this age he should also be left out of the cage to be able to take a few short flights. You don't have to worry about him running away - he'll come back when he's hungry and wants to be fed.
Step 2. Make sure he can eat on his own
When he is old enough to fly, he should also start feeding on his own. You could still feed it directly, but start leaving a small bowl of food and water in the cage. make sure it is food he would also eat in nature. Put the food in the container and after a couple of times it should start pecking it out of curiosity. Gradually start giving him less and less food from your hands and he should soon start eating on his own.
Step 3. Teach him to hunt and to get food
Different bird species eat different foods; therefore, based on the specimen in your possession, you must find a specific way to teach it to hunt and obtain various sources of livelihood.
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If it is an insectivore, that is, it eats insects, introduce the bird in an environment where there are plenty of those it prefers; take some and offer them to him. After some time, he will start catching them on his own and looking for others on his own.
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If the bird eats fruit, place it on a tree or bush with edible berries. Show him a branch full of fruit and give him some; again, he should start eating on his own after a few tries.
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If it eats the seeds, throw some of which the animal is greedy near the place where you saw other specimens; in this way, you teach him to obtain nourishment and to learn from the observation of his fellow men.
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Step 4. Have him socialize with other birds of his kind
If you are breeding two specimens of the same species, this type of interaction should suffice; if you are caring for a single chick instead, you need to teach it to chirp and behave appropriately. This is an important phase because the chicks use different signals to communicate certain situations, such as danger. To teach him the songs and verses that are used by the specimens of his species, you can search for recordings, although the young bird needs to learn by imitation of his fellows.
Advice
- The ideal is to take the nest to an authorized center for the recovery of wildlife. The operators of these facilities are able to handle the animals and are more likely to be able to free the bird back in the wild. Search online or visit the LIPU website to find an ornithology center near you.
- Be patient, the little bird needs time to learn and adapt.
Warnings
- Many native songbirds are also protected by state laws; if so, it is illegal to keep them as pets. Ask your veterinary ASL or wildlife protection center to provide you with the list of protected species.
- Do not release a bird that has now received your "imprinting"; these specimens think you are their own species and are unable to survive in the wild.
- Even with all your effort and the best care, the bird is very likely to die; it is difficult for these animals to survive in nature and even more so for specimens raised by humans. For this reason, look for a licensed bird center that knows how to intervene.
