Found a bird..... (1 Viewer)

My husband and I work from home and noticed some kids playing with something in the road today. I watched them for a while and started noticing that whatever they were playing with seemed to be moving around every so often. I then became concerned they may have found a bird's nest. So we ran out there, nabbed the little creature and ran the kids off. As far as I can tell, it's not injured but I don't know what to do with it. I certainly don't want it to die. :\ I've never had a bird (unless you count my roommates in college) and my cat is going nuts over having a bird in the house.

Can anyone tell me what kind of bird it is and any suggestions on what to do with it? I tried giving it rice chexs and sunflower seeds.... but it doesn't seem very interested in that.

I've attached some images I took to maybe help identify what it is. THANKS!

Some other notes that might help.... I live in Utah on a golf course. The area around the golf course is very grassy and dry (Utah is naturally dry - it is a desert - and so anything not watered is very dry and weedy). I live right next to the mountain and next to the canyon. So it's not uncommon to get wild animals in the neighborhood.Also, it appears to be missing it's tail feathers....

Hi Lori and a warm welcome to BirdForum.

This is really a young one. My first instincts looking at the thumbnail said Starling but I'm not so sure looking at the larger shot. I'm assuming the nest must have been somewhere near by as when the fledglings get too big for the nest they usually start dropping out. While it is still light, any chance of putting it in a hanging basket hooked on to a low limb of a tree? If the parents are nearby, they will find it.

Here also, is a link to our "if you find a baby bird" thread:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=36564

Thanks KCFoggin! That's some useful information. Unfortunately, all of our trees are still little (new neighborhood) and hence hanging it from a tree is probably not feasible. I'll look around and see if any of our trees have a spot that might be suitable.

Okay.... so we made a basket out of the bottom of a milk jug and a coat hanger. It's now hanging from the railing on our front patio (all of our trees were bad options). How long will it stay in the basket and how do I know if the parent birds have fed it?

The bird looks like a Meadowlark - I guess Western Meadowlark is most likely in Utah.

I think Andrew has come up with the right ID, a Western Meadowlark.
If so, this is a ground nesting bird. Mom won't be looking for him in a tree.
See these two photos to get an idea of :

the typical nest (though these vary by region) and

a young meadowlark for comparison.

Hope this helps.

Hi Lori,
Birds can starve in a matter of days. Baby birds--hours. Call someone who can take care of the bird NOW! If there is no help, scramble up some eggs, cool them, and touch the side of the bill with tweezers full of the eggs. When you touch the side of the beak the baby bird will open it's mouth. Put the food as far back as you can. Maybe it will get some nourishment. Get the bird to someone who understands its needs ASAP!