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If you have a Wild Birds Unlimited store near you, or even not necessarily near you, you might give them a call. The one we have in the town I live has very knowledgeable staff who will talk to you and try to help.
Thank you puginabug The link is very helpful. I've tried calling California Wildlife Center before and didn't get an answer but there was another name I haven't tried. Unfortunately I haven't found an ornithology department at UCLA. I'm sure Davis has them but that's 6 hours away.
I have a stupid question..are all birds that are not like raptors or hummingbirds etc. considered songbirds? I called a number a few days ago that said they only respond to calls for adult songbirds and not fledglings so I didn't bother leaving a message since I didn't even know if he was a songbird.
Any idea what kind of bird he is? I can record his chirp if it would help to identify him.
Thank you puginabug The link is very helpful. I've tried calling California Wildlife Center before and didn't get an answer but there was another name I haven't tried. Unfortunately I haven't found an ornithology department at UCLA. I'm sure Davis has them but that's 6 hours away.
I have a stupid question..are all birds that are not like raptors or hummingbirds etc. considered songbirds? I called a number a few days ago that said they only respond to calls for adult songbirds and not fledglings so I didn't bother leaving a message since I didn't even know if he was a songbird.
Any idea what kind of bird he is? I can record his chirp if it would help to identify him.
Pretty hard to tell at that age and from those photos what he is. I think, also, that at that age they tend to chirp rather than make any kind of definitive "song", so not sure if a recording would help.
edited to add:
I'm going to again suggest a call to Wild Birds Unlimited. You can go to their website and search by location, zip code, etc. If you describe the baby to them they may be able to help with an id. If they're close enough you might even bring it in for them to see. And they also may have a list of contacts for bird rehabs.
Last edited by puginabug; 07-24-2015 at 03:46 PM..
I am worried that he isn't learning the bird lessons his mom would be teaching him like where to find food. I've read that birds that are hand raised then released are "social outcasts" in bird society because they don't know how to behave. I'm also more worried that he will starve because his mom hasn't taught him how to find food. I don't want to release him to starve but I HATE the idea of keeping him in a cage.
A peasant look at the prince and thought to himself, "I really feel bad for him as he is stuck in the palace and can't go anywhere freely and openly such as take a walk at the park, or go to the market. What a miserable life."
The prince look at the peasant and thought to himself, "I really feel bad for him as he has to get up everyday at 6 AM and work for 9 hours in order to put food on the table and put roof over his head. What a miserable life."
It was fate that this bird's path crosses yours. You took him home away from danger and fed him and protected him. He belongs to yours now. There is no other way around it. If you let him go, he will starve and/or become an easy meal for something out there.
Continue feeding him, provide him shelter, protect him from dangers out there, and make sure he is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Provide him food where he won't have to starve. He will be bonded to you, so take a few minutes a day and spend it with him. Buy a nice cage and make it his palace as that's all he know from now on. He is yours until the end of his lifetime.
as a wildlife rehabber...
that little guy is a fledgeling, hes old enough to realy be safely outdoors if he had his mother to help im until flight...since he doesn't youv egot about 1 MABE 2 weeks before that little guy finds his wings...
he has NOT imprinted on you...(imprinting happens in the first minutes of hatching, its the very first thing a chick sees as it hatches...) song birds are also not heavy imprinters (unlike waterfowl)
personally id fix a small pen outdoors, a small pvc frame with bird netting like a mini aviary and a box on one end to keep him shaded/dry ect, add a few branches at various heights and sprinkle bird feed (hes old enough to be eating seeds) on the ground 2 times daily for him to pick at...(doing this he will also pick up bugs from the ground too)
once hes perching and flying open the temporary pen up and leave it open...continue ptting food out every day for about 2 weeks as hell stay close for a while and will return knowing where food is...
hell eventually fly off and be a bird...
had it not been for the fact that hes still probably a little ways form true flight id say jus tput him outside under some bushes...but he has no way of defending himself from predators right now...
but hes old enough that in the wld he WOLD be leaving the nest and learning to fly at this stage...
he is perectly releasable, the nly time ive seen released wild birds soffer is in close flock species (ie waterfowl)
most ong birds don't flock ightly enough outside of migration for it to make any real difference.
you do need to encourage perching by giving him branches to perch on (this in turn will enchoage flight...
remember baby birds learn to fly by falling first...so you need to give him something to fall off...
I like both Quaker and foxy's posts. A "wild" bird will do fine in a cage and I like foxy's rehabbing suggestions too. I'm glad the little bugger survived and so happy that you rescued him.
Doesn't look like a mockingbird to me but maybe some type of sparrow. Maybe a Western Sparrow. Our sparrows here in MA look just like it except for the yellow neck.
Good luck to you and "him" whatever you decide. God Bless you for being a caring person.
Just wanted to give everyone an update on the fledgling I had to fly to WA last week and was desperately looking for someone to take care of him. I finally found a bird rescue person through a vet. She only rescues birds which made me feel better since I thought she'd have a better understanding of what he needed and when he was ready to be released.
The day before I left, she informed me that I had to be there at 6 or she wouldn't take him! I couldn't believe she hadn't told me earlier because that meant driving 20 miles in Los Angeles rush hour traffic which can easily take over an hour. But I didn't have anyone else, so I put him in my car with 500 meal worms and managed to arrive at her house with 2 minutes to spare.
It turned out that she lived in a multi-million dollar mansion in a very nice part of Los Angeles. I got a few stares because I got out of my car totally drenched in sweat since it was 85 degrees but I hadn't put the AC on so the fledgling wouldn't get sick. I didn't get to meet her because she had her assistant come out to meet me. He said they would take care of him til he was ready to be released and if he couldn't be released they would take care of him forever.
The only thing that concerned me was that the assistant told me he would feed him then put him in a cage with other birds. That seemed wrong to me. Wouldn't he learn the wrong bird songs if the birds weren't his own species? What if the other birds had diseases? I didn't think a fledgling should be exposed to other birds but I just prayed that she knew more about it than her assistant and would do the right thing. I'm curious what you guys think.
Thank you to everyone that was kind enough to reply to my posts. People that love and care for animals are always the best If I get any more info on him I'll post an update.
The only thing that concerned me was that the assistant told me he would feed him then put him in a cage with other birds. That seemed wrong to me. Wouldn't he learn the wrong bird songs if the birds weren't his own species? What if the other birds had diseases? I didn't think a fledgling should be exposed to other birds but I just prayed that she knew more about it than her assistant and would do the right thing. I'm curious what you guys think.
Thank you to everyone that was kind enough to reply to my posts. People that love and care for animals are always the best If I get any more info on him I'll post an update.
That's too bad you surrendered him. No, putting a fledgling in with other birds does not sound like a good idea to me. Birds attack other birds. That's how I came to adopt my finch. They tried to peck him to death. They did succeed but he had 6 months of a happy life with me before he succumbed to his wounds.
You did your best, now it's out of your hands. Oh, btw, I don't think it matters what type of call/song a bird learns. My parrot sometimes sounds like a parakeet because he was brought up with them.
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The link is very helpful. I've tried calling California Wildlife Center before and didn't get an answer but there was another name I haven't tried. Unfortunately I haven't found an ornithology department at UCLA. I'm sure Davis has them but that's 6 hours away. 
Wouldn't he learn the wrong bird songs if the birds weren't his own species? What if the other birds had diseases? I didn't think a fledgling should be exposed to other birds but I just prayed that she knew more about it than her assistant and would do the right thing. I'm curious what you guys think.
