Q: What should I do if I find an
injured, sick, or orphaned hummingbird?
A: Often these cases are not
as bad as they seem. Hummingbirds are very resilient creatures; a bird that
has hit a window may recover on its own within a few minutes to an hour if
left in a safe place outdoors, out of direct sunlight and away from pets and
children. Most "orphaned" birds, including hummingbirds, are not in any danger
at all. Parent birds keep a low profile near the nest to avoid attracting
predators, and their short, stealthy visits to feed the nestlings may go
unobserved for hours or even days. We also tend to underestimate the strong
bonds between parents and their young. Most birds have a poorly developed
sense of smell and cannot detect human scent on babies that have been handled,
and even if they could their parental instincts would overcome their fear.
Baby hummingbirds whose nest has been damaged or destroyed will still be cared
for by their mother if placed in a small basket or open box as near to the
original nest location as possible and out of reach of children and pets.
In rare situations a hummingbird may need the expert care that only an
experienced and licensed wildlife rehabilitator can provide. Hummingbirds have
very specialized needs, and each year many sick, injured, and baby
hummingbirds die slow, painful deaths in the hands of well-meaning but
unqualified individuals. For the best chance of survival, the bird should be
turned over to a rehabilitator as soon as possible, preferably within an hour
of the time it was found. To prepare for a hummingbird or other wildlife
emergency, contact your veterinarian or local nature center, humane society,
zoo, or state department of wildlife office for the phone number of a wildlife
rescue organization or individual rehabilitator near you, or look under
"Animal Rescue, Relocate & Transport" in the yellow pages. For first aid
information, read and print out or bookmark the
guidelines for short-term care of hummingbirds provided by
Project Wildlife
of San Diego, California. Additional information, including a growing
state-by-state directory of wildlife care centers and licensed individual
rehabilitators, can be found in the
Wildlife Rehabilitation Information
Directory.
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