The Grass Doctor

please help!!!?

My house sparrow tried to fly today! she got about 3 1/2 feet! Does that mean it's time to give her seeds? If it is time to stop giving it to her how do I wean her? Do you think I should mash seeds up & feed them to her. Or maybe I should just put seeds in the cage & not give her cat food & when she realizes she won't get any more cat food she will eat them. Any other ideas??? I have no idea how old she is. I found her in some tall grass... I watched her for about 2 hours & no birds came. I couldn't find a nest & she was really weak so I decided I would help her out. I've had her for almost 4 days & she is doing really well. I asked this question before but I only got 3 answers & none of them helped much.

Public Comments

1. I raised 3 of them, and I crushed up the bird seeds, soaked them in water and fed it to them. I had to put them in a syringe that I had cut the end off of so the seeds would come out easier. They did just fine. Good luck!
2. Call the vet and ask for help. There are special foods you can buy that can be used to hand feed it. Just call the vet explain your situation and they will probably be be able to tell you what to do.
3. lol! What you mean is, you did not get the answer you wanted. You posted about this bird when you first found it, and people advised you to put it back for the mother to take care of, or call a wildlife rehabilitator. Are you absolutely certain that it is a house sparrow? If you really don't know for sure what type of sparrow it is (there are over 30 species of sparrow in North America, and many more related species), then I urge you to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. They have the permits necessary to keep any native songbirds. They will know what to feed it, and when it is ready to be released, which you obviously do not. You can find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.... Go to U.S. Contacts (by State): and click on the letters (A-M or N-W) to find your state. I know that it seems like a silly law, that you can't keep certain wild birds without the permits, but if you are ever caught with one in your possession and have to pay the fine, you won't think it so silly any more. Wording of the Act makes it very clear that most actions that result in "taking" or possession of a protected species or its parts or products is a violation of the Act. Specifically, the Act states: "Unless and except as permitted by regulations, …it shall be unlawful at any time, by any means, or in any manner…to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, …possess, offer for sale, sell, …purchase, import…any migratory bird, any part, nest, or eggs of any such bird…" It is a "strict-liability" law, meaning that there is no requirement for law enforcement agencies to prove "intent" to violate the law. That is, if you are found in possession of a protected species or its parts or products, you are automatically in violation of the law. The provisions of the Act are nearly absolute; "...except as permitted by regulations ..." is the only exception. Some examples of permitted activities that do not violate the law are legal hunting of specific game birds, legitimate research activities, display in licensed zoological gardens, and bird banding under an appropriate permit. The Act covers the great majority (83%) of all native birds found in the U.S. Many of the species not covered by the Act are covered by the Endangered Species Act , other Federal laws, or state laws, many of which are as stringent as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act . In the lower 48 states, all species except the house sparrow, feral pigeon, common starling, and non-migratory game birds like pheasants, gray partridge, and sage grouse, are protected. Penalties upon conviction can be severe. Even if a sympathetic jury finds that you meant no harm in trying to rear an abandoned nestling or in picking a hawk feather, legal defense costs are clearly not worth the risk. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/birds/feathers.htm If you contact your state natural resource agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as suggested by the website, they will refer you to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
4. Diet House Sparrows forage on the ground, eating a variety of seeds and grains, sometimes obtained from livestock feed or livestock droppings. They also eat insects, spiders, and fruits in the summer. From: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/bios/sp_accts/hosp/ http://www.cmag.org.nz/handrearing.pdf Go to this site and go down to the beginning of the fifth page for reference to weening. The entire article is excellent though. If you haven't been crop feeding (which is when you deposit food in the crop with a syringe, which is the normal way of feeding very small baby birds) but instead have been simply giving it cat food, then just start adding regular foods to the cat food while reducing the amount of cat food being offered. Otherwise, just take away the cat food and offer regular food. If it can eat cat food, it can certainly eat seeds. But seed isn't a stable diet for a house sparrow. They need bugs, fruits, seeds, and a varied diet for good health. Best of luck. From the site mentioned by Marge above, I'd like to add something she continually forgets... which is that hand rearing birds is not strictly forbidden. To quote: If You Decide To Hand Rear: Be advised that all native migratory birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and that captive rearing without proper authorization is a violation of federal law. In many cases it is also a violation of state law to hold migratory species in captivity. Additional laws, such as the Raptor Act, which covers hawks and owls, apply to specific groups of birds. Protect yourself by contacting your state natural resource agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before you take nestlings into possession. At the request of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center will not disseminate information on hand rearing birds. Good luck, Dave Fellows -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In other words, contact your state agency and let them know you've found a legitimate abandoned bird in order to legally protect yourself.
5. http://www.birds.com http://www.veterinarian.com http://www.biology.com