Rescued bird. Need help. (1 Viewer)

[flightenvy]

Our kids rescued this baby bird from our cat and are adamant to nurse it back to health. I need help with both identification and diet. I'm not sure if this little guy will survive on its own, but I also don't want to do any harm by intervening. Thanks for any help or advice.

 

[Roy'N]

from rail family. Insects, worms, small fish and that sort of thing.

 

[rockfowl]

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

Looks like a juvenile Sora, this might help - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sora_(crake)

 

[china guy]

These Rails apparently thrive in captivity - so I think if you look after it correctly it stands a chance.
Rather wordy - but if you skim through this you'll find a first hand account of feeding captive young (part of a study of rail behavior) - http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v099n03/p0432-p0440.html

"Chicks were kept in a box along with a saucer of water and a light bulb, and were hand-fed every 2 h from 04:00 until midnight for about one week after hatching at which time they began feeding for themselves. I mixed 2 hard boiled egg yolks, 1 can ofhorsemeat dog food, 1 can of nearly all vegetable dog food, and several vitamin drops for rail food."

 

[jaco]

Nice job rescuing it from your cat, but you're probably better off contacting a local wildlife rehabber. Not only will they have the proper equipment and experience to care for and release a wild bird, but they'll also have the permits required to do so. The bird is protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, which makes possession of this species illegal without a permit.