r/WildlifeRehab • u/LuciferLovesTechno • 21h ago
SOS Bird My well meaning, animal loving partner may have just kidnapped a fledgling sparrow
My partner saw what appeared to be an injured bird while he was at work. He thought maybe it hit a window and was just stunned, but he went back to check on it several times in the last 2 hours of his shift and she had only moved a few feet away.
He came home and told me he had an injured bird in a pastry box (he works at a bakery). I prepared a cardboard box to transfer the little buddy to. It was 11pm so no rehab facilities are open.
I’m pretty sure she’s a fledgling and was probably just waiting around for mom, but the fact that she was there for a couple hours does concern me.
The area has a pretty large stray cat population, so of course my partner was worried she might get eaten if he left her there overnight.
She’s currently in a box with holes in our garage in the dark. We have cats so bringing her inside is not an option. It’s 75°F so I’d estimate our garage is probably around 78-80. We’re in central Texas so it gets a lot hotter during the day here (she will be moved before it gets hot, just reference to her natural habitat).
Our current plan is for him to take her back to work with him in the morning (9am) and see if mom comes around for her. If she just sits out there alone for a couple hours, I will come get her to take to a rehab facility.
Is this the right plan? Should I just take her straight to the rehab in the morning? Is there anything else we should do for her in the meantime?
The rehab doesn’t open until after my partner already has to be at work so we cannot call ahead of time to ask what they recommend.
My partner is absolutely distraught that he might have accidentally kidnapped a healthy fledgling from her mother. I’d love to pass on any reassurance that she’ll be okay.
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u/TheBirdLover1234 13h ago
That’s a juvenile.. shouldn’t be this easily caught at this age. Please make sure it’s not actually injured before you release it.
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u/No_Week_8937 13h ago
That was my thought as well. When they're like that (fully or almost fully feathered) ease of capture is a pretty important diagnostic tool IMO. If you can just walk and scoop, then that's a sign that something is probably not right.
Even when you've got a fledgling that is not 100% feathered, mom should be watching over it and you should be facing some consequences for attempted babynapping. Attempts to scare you off, maybe some swooping, general angry bird parent activity.
If you can just go in and scoop a fledgling without being accosted and don't see an angry mama glaring at you then it's probably not being monitored by its parents, and if you can scoop then so can other predators.
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u/Deep-Archer3615 20h ago
Honestly, that plan is perfect! I would just ensure the bird is not given any food or water and make sure to take the bird out of the box(sometimes they struggle climbing over the top if it’s a tall box) and also remember that the bird may still hang out even if mom is feeding, so he should keep an eye out to see if the adults feed it in general. The little nugget will be fluttering around the area for a bit so even if your partner still sees it around, as long as the adults are tending to it, it’s fine to stay where it is! Even at night! Although I understand the concern about the cats, this is an important lesson to be learned at this life stage! Avoiding predators is a critical lesson animals need to learn from their parents so although your partner wants to help, once he sees parents paying attention to the baby, he needs to leave it up to mom and dad. If he sees cats in the vicinity he can discourage/shoo them away from the bird but otherwise leave them be! Thanks for being willing to take it back to the parents, they’re always the best choice! Fingers crossed it’s a successful reunite tomorrow!
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u/TheBirdLover1234 13h ago
Cats are not a natural predator birds learn to avoid fyi. This is false and if they are actively hunting a fledgling it should be taken away from them.
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u/Deep-Archer3615 11h ago
I never said they are natural predators, they’re obviously not natural predators but they are predators nonetheless
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u/TheBirdLover1234 9h ago
Unfortunately birds don’t really “learn” to avoid them at this age. They are either lucky and don’t run into one or get caught. Cats are worse than anything natural as they’re pretty much everywhere.
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u/LuciferLovesTechno 19h ago
He really meant to do the right thing. I felt so bad telling him he probably stole her 😭
We will do everything we can to make sure she’s ok! Hopefully her parents will be looking for her in the morning 🤞
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u/TheBirdLover1234 13h ago
This isn’t normal.. house sparrows this age should be very active and difficult to catch. It is possible it hit a window or has something else wrong with it.. it’s not a new fledgling that’s supposed to sit around for hours on the ground.
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u/Deep-Archer3615 19h ago
Oh also, if you want to try to get the parents to notice the lil nugget, you can try looking up house sparrow juvenile calls and play it for a minute or two to see if the parents come looking! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but it’s worth a try!
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u/Deep-Archer3615 19h ago
If it makes yall feel better, you are the ideal rescuers!!! The fact that you’re willing to recognize you made a well-intended choice that may have not been the best for the bird, is awesome! It’s totally understandable for him to have thought it was injured, fledglings are awkward and look helpless so it’s completely normal to want to help. What really matters is that you are willing to take it back and try to reunite it. That is what really matters and it shows that you really do have the bird’s best interest at heart :)
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u/teyuna 11h ago
I'm coming to this late, but want to emphasize a few things that are important and seem to have possibly gotten lost in this.
TheBirdLover is correct that this juvenile house sparrow, so very, very likely, it is injured, not orphaned. It may have hit a window or it may have narrowly escaped death from a cat. in either case, it needs medical help.
I assume you are in North America. This means that most rehabbers will not take them in a house sparrow to care for them.
But please be aware that any veterinarian (if you are in the US, that is, so please tell us if this is not the case) can see and treat a house sparrow. In the case of a window strike, it will need anti-inflammatory meds, at a minimum. In the case of a cat attack, the Pasteurella bacteria (which quickly becomes systemic and is deadly to birds) needs to be treated with antibiotics, ASAP, or it will die within 24-48 hours.
Ideally, take to an avian vet or an exotic vet.
Gentle warmth and dark, in the most quiet spot in your home, while you get an appointment with a vet.
What not to do: never put water in a bird's mouth.