I've been trying to catch this little dude for the past three days. He's been hopping around my yard near the bird feeder when the other sparrows fly in and finally managed to grab him to check him out. I thought he may have a broken wing at first because he never used them but I gave him a look over and it appears he's just missing his tail feathers. One wing still might have a problem since he still should be able to fly without them(if not just poorly) but from by just looking at it, both wings seemed ok. He appears to have his tail vertebrae intact still(i checked because i've found complete tails of birds once with some bone attached).
What are the odds for this little guy? I already let him go and I piled more wood near the fence, bird feeder and fire pit where he hangs around so he has more cover to duck into. I figured there's really nothing I could do for him by keeping him, and all it'd do is stress him. Even if he can't fly, he can at least still hang out with his bird friends when they stop in. Besides the typical bird seed I leave out, is there anything extra that might help like mealworms or something?
His name is Jeremy. I'm rooting for the little guy, if not for the fact I'm surprised he's survived this long with all the outdoor cats around.
Another pic. I felt about his breastbone and he didn't feel emaciated either.
If it's winter and cold where you live it might be a good idea to put some fat balls there as well. Especially if he's injured it might help him overcome the winter.
>>2033212
I have those in block form. There is snow on the ground here so it's pretty cold. Should I put them at the bottom of the bird feeder so he could reach or toss some bits in the woodpiles? I'm worried if I put any food in his woodpiles it'll attract other animals to him but I do want to make sure he's getting something.
i think you have the right idea giving him places to hide. he is probably roosting in a bush nearby. its kind of a catch 22 trying to keep wild animals alive in the wild. if you put more food you may attract more birds and more predators. unless you wanna keep him in an outdoor aviary theres not much you can do for him to ensure his survival.
throw him a peanut butter bread when you see him. watch him and if he doesnt eat it remove it so it doesnt attract unwanteds.
Dude. Why are you so fucking autistic?
You obviously have no idea what you are doing. That bird is going to die in your care and I bet you don't even give a shit.
The best chance it has is to be taken care of by people who ACTUALLY give a shit about wildlife, such as a wildlife rehab center who will actually give the bird the nutrition and shelter it needs instead of being stranded in someone's back yard who doesn't even know the bird's proper diet.
That bird will starve because it can't fly.
Bird who are not properly nurished will
never recover from an injury like that.
She's fine. She just needs to grow back her tail feathers, which is a very long process. Put her back where you found her. Unless you have a flight enclosure there is nothing you can do to help her. She may get eaten, but if she's just hopping around your backyard she has a pretty good chance. Really, there is nothing you can do to make it better faster. She looks like she's in good health and not dehydrated, so she's doing good on her own.
>>2033217
>peanut butter bread
This post has the right intentions, but don't feed things that aren't bird food to birds. A common misconception is that bread is good for/okay for birds and it's not.
>>2033224
>This post is not
What? Someone on /an/ giving advice about something they don't actually know about?
The only thing surprising about that is that it is from Anonymous and not Bugguy.
>>2033218
I know what they eat, I was just asking if there was anything 'extra' that might help like added protein. I already said it wasn't emaciated, so it's not starving either. As for what to do with it, it's a house sparrow and an invasive species. Wildlife rehabs don't take them around here. The local ones told me they don't bother with taking in any birds that aren't songbirds or raptors, because it takes up resources and time they don't have. They also do not accept raccoons or foxes.
It's not trapped in my yard either, there's holes in the fences where it can leave into the surrounding yards, which what made it hard to catch in the first place. It'd be worse off in my actual care, it'd be stressed to all hell so I don't know what you're so mad about, friend. With no local rehabs willing to take it, there isn't much to do with it that isn't going to make it worse.
>>2033223
Yeah, I put her right back outside after I gave her a look over. I had her in my hands for less than 2 minutes, I didn't want to stress her out too bad.
It's pretty much all ice and snow outside, but some days it's been warm enough for it to melt so I hope its enough where she can find somewhere she can drink now that you mentioned dehydration.
>>2033239
What general area are you in? I've heard of these kinds of dumbass rules but I've never actually verified that this is true and not just an excuse people use when they don't wanna drive somewhere (not accusing you, especially since rehab is not necessary in this case)
I'm in CA and I don't know of a single rehab that won't take in sparrows, raccoons, squirrels, possums, or other species that people say rehabs refuse. the only cases I know of are when the rehabs are specialized, like a raptor rehab or marine mammal rehab.
>>2033227
you can buy peanut butter that's specifically made for birds in most pet stores.
>>2033261
I'm pretty far up north. House sparrows, starlings and pigeons aren't protected like native or migratory birds. It's not illegal to keep or kill them, and those are the three birds I'm told are usually a 'no go'. I did know of a rehab place that accepted an injured starling I handed over when I was a teen, but I no longer live in that part of the country.
At the rehab place I was checking out last summer(and am considering interning for, but its two states away) I also asked them about what they took and they said they didn't really deal with them either(didn't get a hard no but take that as you wish), and also went on to say that when it came to birds their decisions were often based about rarity when it came to their resources. I do wish everything could be given a chance, but I understand where that is coming from if they already have a lot on their plate.
As for non-birds, NC comes to mind. They do not rehab 'vector species', which is something you might want to dig around for info as laws vary from state to state and county-to-county. Some places require a whole different license for vector species(raccoon, foxes, skunks, etc).
For NC -
>http://www.ncwildlife.org/injuredwildlife.aspx
>"Due to high risk for carrying rabies, the following wild animals should not be handled and cannot be rehabilitated: foxes, skunks, raccoons, coyotes and bats. Please, leave these animals alone."
>>2033227
anything is food to a wild animal. sparrows are opportunistic in that they will go after millet just as much as exposed garbage. the high fat content of peanut butter and bread is exactly what a disabled wild animal would capitalize on. OP is obviously a child so its not like he is going to hand feed the bird this everyday for 12 weeks. he will throw a piece of bread out and lose interest when the bird doesnt nose it in 15 minutes so all of this is m00t.
Update on it but, it's able to fly now for some reason after this morning of it still not flying. Unless there's another one in the flock that's missing a tail and hops around the same way. It flew over the fence and over to my neighbor's shed. Originally I thought something was wrong with it's wing because when I first saw it, something about its primary flight feathers looked weird, they were pointing up when folded rather than laying against it's body but that was for the first two days of seeing it and today when I had caught it, it's feathers looked and rested normal.
Not sure what's this little bird's deal at this point. Maybe it had just sprained it's wing in what I assumed to a cat attack that took it's tail and it's better now? Who knows. I'll still keep an eye out for it but if it is the same bird and is flying now, I'm happy for it.
>>2033361
I've hand raised birds before, but those were baby or sick/injured city pigeons and already fairly chill about human company.
>>2033361
You're trying super duper hard
>>2033268
Could you just use the "all-natural" brands that only have peanut butter and salt as ingredients? Pic related.
