Need Help with Rescued Bird

My daughter just came back home with this little fellow. We had some snow yesterday and it's cold outside. The little bird doesn't seems to be wounded and is eating some bird food that I have for my 2 parakeets. Now we don't know what else to do. Should I put it in the parakeets cage ?

From experience.....put the bird in a cage. When they get their cognition back they fly, they try to get out the windows.

If it gets loose, you need to get a soft cloth and get it over them. I had one peck my hand when I caught it in my hands after the wife brought it in and it was trying to get out the kitchen window. They can hurt themselves in a house.

They go from being weak and disoriented to full energy in an instant sometimes if they run into a window outside.

a reply to: Trueman

The longer you keep him, the harder it will be to return him to the yard. Small birds like these do make good pets though. If you put him out, i would supply him with a birdhouse.

Try to get some water into the little guy, but keep separate from your birds. Wild birds can have mites an other stuff, plus most birds are territorial of their spaces, an your parakeets may be as well.

Years ago I raised a sparrow from a fledgling. Eye droppers of water softened dry cat food and water till it could do bird food. The biggest thing is sparrows an others home flocks have their own language and the bird will be rejected if you go to release it outside of the area it came from. We kept her in a cage in a window during the summer so she basically learned to dialog with the others in the yard. By year three she was flying in and out of her cage outside getting the hang of being wild. By her fourth summer she was off with the group but would still show up for visits.

Grilled with a few herbs & Side of taters.

Would make a worthy snack!

a reply to: Trueman


Firstly, "Thanks" for looking out. Maybe put it in the cage after it warms up a tad and then "Let Her go..." I'd certainly keep this bird separate. This would allow You a chance to monitor it's health. (It'll also allow You to increase Your "cosmic energy" just by sitting and watching.) Once the bird starts to 'squirm about' then its time to wave bye bye Birdie.

It would be interesting to notice if it tweets to Your birds? Something like "Don't worry, He won't eat You. I couldn't tweet that to the yard bird from KFC™ last night..." but in bird language. Looks to be some sort of Wren?

Also see if any of its friends come to check on Her/Him.

"Tweeeeeeeeeeet Tweeeeeet tweeeeeeeeet " "Thanks Again, Buddy..." American Wren

Stay Hydrated... For the bird too.

It is strange. We feed the birds on the deck, throwing seeds out quite a bit different times of the year. When they see us sitting at the table having coffee in the morning, they do a flyby the window and kick the glass to let us know they want seeds. This stops after we put seeds out. Once in a while the birds misjudge their mission, especially the younger ones and get knocked out. We lift them onto the picnic table and pet them a little and once they get their heads together they fly away. Sometimes they hit hard and will screw up a leg, they jump around on one foot for a while and they seem to be able to go. It might be a little hard to sit in a tree for a while, but none have gotten seriously hurt. We have had about five or six partridge hit the house and get killed, also one hawk hit the house and died. The tweety birds do sometimes get killed but most often they just get knocked senseless for a while. If a hawk is chasing them they sometimes run into the house full speed.

That is a white-throated sparrow. They do well in cold environments. I suggest letting it go outside and put some bird seed out there if you are worried.

I am sure it appreciates the food and warmth you did give it though.

FYI I work with songbirds.

a reply to: Trueman

Thanks guys for all the replies. We put the bird in a nest made of clothes inside another cage, so we can monitor him (or her).

So I guess we should wait until our little friend starts singing, then it will be time to say goodbye.

a reply to: Trueman

ADORABLE!!!!!
Thank you for taking care of this wayward little one!!!

Firstly, I think you've done the right thing by taking him in. The well-being of the critter should always come first and it sounds like that is your intention.

I'm not sure where you live, but in some (if not most) municipalities in the US, it is illegal to keep wildlife. Of course, someone isn't going to come into your house and arrest you, but there are valid reasons for laws such as these.

You might want to check the internet for a local bird rescue organization, a first step might be to call a nearby animal shelter. They probably have a list of resources for helping rehabilitate injured wildlife. Here in the Seattle area there are at least two places (PAWS & Sarvey ) that accept wildlife for care. They have amazing facilities and at no cost to you will do everything in their power to ensure that the critter will be released back into their environment if at all possible.

Use your best judgement, if he doesn't seem quite right you might want to take additional steps such as contacting an agency like I mentioned, take it to a local bird/exotic clinic (you don't have to tell them it is wild, if you do they may turn you away because of restrictions). I have taken in crows, pigeons, rats, mice, and snails. Some I've cared for myself, others have gone to sanctuaries, and others were taken to be euthanized at the vet or shelter.

Good luck!!! Thanks for being a friend to animals!

If it appears ready to fly, turn it out...

originally posted by: Trueman
So I guess we should wait until our little friend starts singing, then it will be time to say goodbye.

If you wait for the bird to sing, you will probably be waiting quite a while. The bird will likely feel distressed by the foreign environment. The bird was obviously in some sort of trouble initially, given that your daughter caught it by hand. However, now that the bird is warmed up, you should probably let it go back to the natural world. These birds are quite hardy and capable of surviving in very cold climates. However, when it gets extremely cold, these birds will fly further south. IF you continue to hold the bird, you may actually keep it from it's usual seasonal movements.

Or you can keep the bird illegally as a pet and wait for it to die.

P.S. If you are wondering what sex the bird is, you cannot really tell. Read here for more.

P.S. If you are wondering what sex the bird is, you cannot really tell. Read here for more.




Or You can see if they leave the toilet seat up... If You let it go now it can still catch up to the flock, probably birds of the same feather... It'll have a story to share when they sit perched on some telephone wire.

a reply to: Trueman

If you have a separate cage, you may want to consider.
This is a wild bird.

He could have fleas or other parasite that may invade your parakeets.

a reply to: Trueman


I agree with some of the other posts,I don't think you should keep this bird.
I do like the idea of a birdhouse kept outside.You can keep an eye on the bird
and give him some food until he feels better,or whatever.

originally posted by: manimal
That is a white-throated sparrow. They do well in cold environments. I suggest letting it go outside and put some bird seed out there if you are worried.

I am sure it appreciates the food and warmth you did give it though.

FYI I work with songbirds.

a reply to: Trueman

Was gonna say that most non-migratory sparrows do pretty well in the cold. A little TLC, and put it back out in the morning. Put out a little suet and seeds if you want.

a reply to: manimal

Thanks man. We already tried to release it this afternoon but the little fellow couldn't fly away, seams somehow weak or maybe a problem with the wings?

Tomorrow morning we'll let it go. Right now it's eating and getting water too. One thing I noticed from my window, no other bird around the rest of the day. Normally
they stop by just 2 feet from my window.

originally posted by: mamabeth
a reply to: Trueman


I agree with some of the other posts,I don't think you should keep this bird.
I do like the idea of a birdhouse kept outside.You can keep an eye on the bird
and give him some food until he feels better,or whatever.

The cage is inside in a warm place, but that's the plan. We'll let it go tomorrow morning.

oh meh, kept one for 4 years an it returned to the wild on it's own when it was ready.
The second one we had we noticed it was having trouble at the feeder. Picked it up which was easy for it an me cause it had conjunctivitis. Got the bird meds from the vet an treated it an released it. Altho that took most of the summer.

These little guys are fairly tough and adaptable.

If it's doing ok and not slamming into the cage keep it a day or two, make sure nothing is actually wrong with it an let it recoup itself.