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Good Morning - My niece just called with a question about "Mud" birds....the type of birds that reside in elevations above 7000 ft. in Colorado and build their nests out of mud. She has a nest on her carport where 3 of the 4 baby birds have died. 2 fell out (or were pushed) and one lived and she has it in her house (one that fell died and two were clearly dead in the nest). She says she saw mom come to the nest yesterday, so mom is still around, but what should she do with the one living baby. She fed it ground up worms last night and this morning. If she puts it back in the nest, it will have to wait until later today because she cannot access the nest without a ladder - and finally, it will be about 105 degrees today.....what is the best way to proceed and let nature take its course??
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Bird Name of Bird: Mud-Dauber (?) Already Tried: Feeding it ground up worms through a syringe and keeping it warm - lived through the night.
Greetings, I am Dr. Pat. I have worked with birds for many years. I will do my best to help you.Is this a swallow-type bird? These are probably barn swallows. Or a flycatcher-type bird? Phoebes make mud nests as well.It is common for the babies to "bail" when it gets really hot. They are literally cooking in the nest.The best thing is to let nature take its course. It is unfortunate but natural that this happens. She should try to spray the area or hose the top of the roof to cool the general area down a few degrees.Baby swallows can be a challenge, and if she is going to climb up there again, she should replace the young one and NOT rescue the other. Unfortunately the babies are usually injured in the fall, and the one she has may not make it either way.I know you mean well but try to interfere as little as possible. Nature really does know best, XXXXX XXXXX is very difficult to treat a wild baby that has secondary problems due to human-caused injury and malnutrition. Wild birds are wild for a reason. They are difficult to care for properly in captivity, even by experts. People with little or no experience can inadvertently cause great harm that will require the bird to be euthanized. No one wants that to happen. The little bird will have the best chance of survival if taken to your local wildlife care/rescue center. They will identify it, feed it the appropriate diet, assess its veterinary needs, rehab and hopefully release it in your area. Care of wild baby birds requires extensive training and experience. It also requires state and federal permits. http://www.ccwr-co.org/resources.shtml#corehabThe alternative is to take the bird to see an avian-experienced veterinarian ASAP for complete examination, diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Check this http://www.aav.org/association/index.php?content=activeMembersList for members of AAV in your area or call your regular vet and see who they recommend; ask if they really have worked with wild birds a lot. You may be able to secure a referral from the local wildlife care people, the animal shelter or humane societies; ask them where they send injured wildlife. Unfortunately nature is not always nice, but you have rescued the little bird, and good luck.
I see that you have rated me negative. That is unfortunate.I have worked with wildlife for many years, including a very large wildlife rescue organization. We received literally thousands of baby barn swallows every year at this time, and most were inadvertently injured by the good-hearted people that tried to "help" them. The best thing for the population is to allow nature to take its course and allow the parents time to raise another, healthy clutch.They do not eat worms, and the parasites and bacteria can kill the youngsters.
Experience: 25 years as avian-only veterinarian