Basics of Feeding Wild Baby Birds

Wild baby birds that have fallen out of their nest are incredibly vulnerable and require delicate care. The best course of action when you find an abandoned baby bird is to take it to a vet or wildlife shelter immediately. If you do plan on caring for the bird yourself, there are some important guidelines to remember when feeding the animal. The proper food at the right times is crucial to ensuring its survival.

  1. Initial Considerations

    • First, determine whether the bird is precocial or altricial. Most birds that build ground nests are born precocial, including ducks, chickens, geese, quail, and killdeer. These birds, although vulnerable, are not nearly as helpless as altricial birds that are born in tree nests. Altricial birds are blind and naked at birth, depending completely on their mothers. Altricial birds include passerines, mockingbirds, and owls. Most abandoned wild birds in need of human assistance are altricial birds that have fallen out of their nest for some reason or another.

      Caring for a bird requires constant monitoring and the birds must be fed constantly throughout the day in order to survive. Don't attempt to care for a baby bird unless you are prepared to feed it every 15 to 20 minutes throughout the day. Each bird diet is a little different, so make sure you know what kind of bird you are feeding before you start.

    Feeding Baby Birds

    • Baby birds generally require a high protein diet of foods you can easily obtain. Pet stores often sell commercial hand feeding formula you can try, but it is not essential. A good option is small pieces of high protein dog or cat food. Soak the feed in water before offering it to the bird, as they absorb water through each piece of food.

      Other foods that should be incorporated into the baby birds diet are hardboiled eggs and mealworms. Mealworms are widely consumed in China and their larvae can be purchased online. Both the eggs and mealworms should be chopped up into tiny pieces for the baby bird.

      To initiate feeding, tap the bird on the side of the beak with a pair of tweezers and place the food in front of it This will likely trigger a feeding response. Place the bit of food in its mouth but don't give it any additional water. A common mistake when feeding wild baby birds is giving them too much water. They can die from drowning if you do this.

      Feed the bird small quantities of food very often throughout the day. Don't wait more than an hour between each feeding, especially when it is very young. Don't feed the bird at night. Parent birds in nature only feed during daylight hours and night feeding will discourage healthy digestive patterns.