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Baby bird found on sidewalk in the concrete jungle (1 Viewer)

Found this little bird on my way to work this morning in Vancouver Canada. It cannot fly yet, has no feathers on its chest. Do I feed it, get hold of an animal society, what do I do for this little bird?
 

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Oh dear, it will take a lot to keep it alive. It's best if you can get a bird society to take it. If not try and get some meal-worms or maggots from a fishing shop. It may take raw mince. Good luck.
 
House Sparrow.

Given the status of this as an introduced pest in America, it may be the kindest thing to do to put it out of its misery. Hard, but true. The chances of it surviving are very low anyway.

Michael
 
this is going to take a lot of real T L C, and maybe not a good
outcome. but give it a go. eyedropper with some tepid dilutid milk
or if you can get hold of some rose hip syrup, and give it to it
again tepid the snag is you are going to have to do this every
2hours for at least 24 hours to start with as I said its going to be hard work its down to you all the best.
bert
 
what on earth has its status as an introduced bird got to do with it? Ive seen some nonsense on this site, Ive even written most of it, but that answer has got to be in the top 5.

Are you saying kill it because it's a pest?
 
Steve and Brain,

It is very easy to feel for an innocent baby bird that has had the misfortune of leaving the nest too early.

I like crows, Brain. I had one as a pet growing up. House Sparrows in North America are more than just "an introduced bird". House Sparrows (and Europen Starlings) in North America:

Compete with native birds for available cavities (limited) to nest in.

Kill adult and young native cavity nesting birds.

Destroy the eggs of native cavity nesting birds.

Are partially responsible for the decline of many native cavity nesting birds.

I don't know what the Canadian Government has to say about releasing a House Sparrow. The U.S. Government supports eliminating as many House Sparrows and Starlings as possible. The accepted method of dealing with either of these two species is to place them in a small plastic bag and introduce ether (car starting fluid) into the bag. This is quick and painless euthanization. Every time it is practiced it helps our native bird populations. You would agree with me if you had seen the House Sparrow nest built upon the corpse of a female Tree Swallow that was caught by a House Sparrow and killed while incubating her eggs.

Mark
 
Draco, You are getting confused with Magpies aren't you? I dont think house sparrows kill other birds?? unless someone on this side of the Atlantic knows better?
 
Hi Steve,

The problems caused by House Sparrows in North America are well documented - Mark is quite right, however unpleasant the idea might seem to us on our side of the pond.

Michael
 
Geez, I wish I had known about this House Sparrow issue earlier. I would have stuck with my first idea and ate it.

Hey, would you look at that! A bald eagle just fell to the ground outside my window! What a nuisance those things are...

Hey, Happy July 4th, America!





giving back to the community: http://members.shaw.ca/trepaning
 
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In the end, I suppose that one House Sparrow more or less is neither here nor there. I sympathise with Brain, he's just trying to do the right thing.

On the other hand, whenever we happen to catch a Common Blackbird (adult or young), we wring its neck right away, and we go round the property finding nests too. At first we used to just destroy the nest, but later on we realised that the Blackbird just builds another one, either in the same place or somewhere where it is more difficult to find and destroy. It's more effective to wait till the eggs are all laid and just remove them from the nest, leaving the nest itself. That way, the Blackbird usually re-lays in the same place and you can (with a few repeat doses) prevent her from breeding for the year.

But does that actually make any difference, even on a very local level? Or does it just mean that we are infested with young Blackbirds radiating out from other properties in the district instead of our own home-grown vermin?

I dunno.
 
You wring its neck? How civilized of you. By killing the odd blackbird you can get your hands on your not gonna be maknig much difference anyway. Blackbirds can have 5 broods containing up to 5 young. Thats 25 young a season from just one pair. But apart from that ...good luck:)
House sparrows going about killing birds? what are you feeding them in North America? ive heard of them throwing out the odd house martin when nesting cavities are low but going about killing your swallows...madness.
 
Guess you have to be there...

The first time that one of you tries to help a native bird by providing housing just to have the eggs, young, parent, or some combination destroyed by a non-native you might feel diferently.

Start a Bluebird trail Brain. Let the House Sparrows do what they wish after all of your money and efforts go into that trail. Keep records of the numbers of native birds killed by your precious Sparrows (if any even get a chance to nest before Sparrows take over - I know that you wouldn't want to harm one). On second thought, DON'T! These Bluebird trails and Purple Martin housing put up by people who don't know about House Sparrows and Starlings are a BIG part of the problem. They put housing up for a native species that needs help and allow the S&S to take over. This just increases the number of flying rats.

Allowing House Sparrows and Starlings to reproduce in North America is like putting poison in your bird bath and feeders.

Educate yourself about these vermin. Here are some links:

http://www.purplemartin.org/main/projdemo.html

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/sparrow.htm

You just don't understand yet.

Mark
 
It's a Blackbird, Seb Seb. It's vermin.

I'd rather have rats than Blackbirds - at least you can poison rats.

In the UK where it belongs, sure. No problem. But over here, Blackbirds are vermin and if I could wipe them out I would. So would anyone else with the faintest shred of understanding about the natural environment or concern for native species.
 
I dont like your american grey squirrels destroying every other living creature in the UK, doesnt mean i go about wringing their necks and bashing their heads off walls!! Theres simply too many, same with your blackbirds and sparrows, to kill them with these means so why do it? Kill a few and they are soon replaced.
But good luck anyway:)
 
They are not my American squirels - nearest American Grey Squirrel to me is 10,000 miles away - but I know what you mean.

It's a hopeless task - or rather, it will remain a hopeless task until more people participate and put it on a proper footing, It can be done. The Western Australian government, for example, maintains a starling patrol and does not allow Common Starlings (which are just as bad as Blackbirds) past a certain point. They pay shooters to do it, and it works - there are no starlings in south-west WA.

Still, by denying the Blackbirds the chance to nest on our little patch, we discourage them a little. They are still around, of course, but possibly in smaller numbers. And it helps preserve resources (on this little patch) for birds that belong here - including the incomparably more musical Grey Shrike-Thrush, which seems to withstand Blackbird invasions but has its numbers reduced by them.
 
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