baby mockingbirds (1 Viewer)

[alaree]

Please help. I have been raising two baby mockingbirds for the past week and a half, I have now released them but they are still coming back to me to eat. They are not getting on the ground to "hunt" for food. Will they learn this on their own or will I have to "teach" them.

 

[Katy Penland]

Hi, Alaree, and welcome to BirdForum from all of us on staff here.

Birds have to be taught how to forage and feed themselves. This is why we usually recommend that humans let Nature take its course this time of year unless the human can return the chicks to their nest. If the nest could not be found, and you saw no adult birds around, you really should have called a rehabber right away. I'd urge you to do that now as they will know how to care for the chicks and can determine whether they are in fact releasable when grown.

I know it's hard to resist trying to "help" baby birds, especially this time of year when so many chicks look like they're out of place on the ground. But this may be part of their training from the parent birds. Please keep us posted on what you decide to do and how the chicks fare, will you? :t:

 

[alaree]

They were foraging before they took flight (which was today). I will give them a few days and see how they do. If they can not learn to look for food on their own I will call for help. They have ate ants and such on their own in the past. I will keep you posted.

I could not put them back in the nest, the mom nested in the atic of a warehouse and the babies fell down in a wall. We had to remove the wall panel to get them out. Atic in that area not accessable, so I could not return then to the nest or anywhere near.

Thanks for all your help

Alaree

Hi, Alaree, and welcome to BirdForum from all of us on staff here.

Birds have to be taught how to forage and feed themselves. This is why we usually recommend that humans let Nature take its course this time of year unless the human can return the chicks to their nest. If the nest could not be found, and you saw no adult birds around, you really should have called a rehabber right away. I'd urge you to do that now as they will know how to care for the chicks and can determine whether they are in fact releasable when grown.

I know it's hard to resist trying to "help" baby birds, especially this time of year when so many chicks look like they're out of place on the ground. But this may be part of their training from the parent birds. Please keep us posted on what you decide to do and how the chicks fare, will you? :t:

 

[salty]

hello, welcome to bird forum!

 

[pauco]

Hi alaree, welcome to BirdForum.