Ambrose the Cedar Waxwing

It is difficult to not grow attached to many of the birds that come in here. I think it is safe to say that all of the staff at the Bird Center have their personal favorites and their own individuals or species that they root on for more than the rest. I know I have a soft spot for young mourning doves and even though I try not to give more attention to them than anyone else, sometimes it happens.

One of our new birds at the Center is this juvenile Cedar Waxwing.

He was brought into us by a very caring family who gave him the name, “Ambrose.” We generally advise against naming of wild animals. In this situation, the bird was found with the majority of one of his wings missing. It is unclear as to how this injury happened, but he has recovered well with no complications and a big personality.

Unfortunately however, because of his condition, there is no hope for release for him. Therefore, we are currently trying to tame him and get him used to people even more than he already. We are hoping to find a home for him in a zoo or sanctuary where he may serve as a lesson of conservation. Though it would be great if he could be brought home with the dedicated family who cared so much for him, it is not an option. In the state of Michigan, all birds are federally protected except for sparrows, starlings, and pigeons. If a protected bird is kept and cared for for a period longer than 48 hours by an individual without a license to do so, it is considered a federal offense. While we have never seen a person legally punished for caring for an animal, it is the law and we are not willing to lose our credibility as a rehabilitation institution.

In the meantime, Ambrose is spoiled and eats berries and fruit flies all day. He has become quite personality and we are hopeful that we will find a good place for such a special animal!

More Tiny Babies!

While we generally cannot take in abandoned bird eggs, there are occasions on which we make exceptions. Bird eggs are extremely sensitive in regards to the environment and require very specific temperatures and humidities throughout the cycle of a single day. Unfortunately, at our facility, we do not have the resources to incubate finicky eggs and often times, the most humane option is to freeze an egg or leave it where it is. Chances are, if an egg is not where it is supposed to be, the nestling inside has already passed away.

Like I said, however, there are cases in which we make exceptions. In this case, we decided to take in a small sparrow egg, as we felt movement of the baby inside and saw indications that he or she was close to hatching.

It was in incredible sight to see and I spent the entire morning hoping that the nestling would emerge from the egg before my shift at the Center was over. Lucky for me, he decided to come out just a few minutes before I left! Being just a little House Sparrow, take a look at just how small this little baby is.

It is amazing just how tiny these babies are when they emerge. Their skin feels so thin and you can often see bones and digestive tract right through it. Despite the tiny size, they are still born knowing how to beg and chirp (louder than you’d expect!) and instinct kicks in immediately. I was surprised to find this nestling chirping and begging for food as soon as his beak was sufficiently exposed even though the rest of his body was still covered.

As I mentioned in an older post, we took in a very young hummingbird. Though it has only been a short time since his arrival, he is already growing faster than we can keep up with. Besides, there is no such thing as too many photos of baby hummingbirds.

Not All Phrases are Accurate

Many people use the phrase "eat like a bird" to describe a person that eats very little or is picky about their meals. However, that could not be further from the truth. Some of the questions I am asked the most about my experience at the Bird Center involves the diets of all of the birds. I'm here to clear up the questions and describe the huge task of feeding over 100 birds the appropriate diets they need to make them happy and healthy.


What do they eat?

It depends on the bird. We have various diets for various birds and every species of bird is different. It also depends on the age of the bird, as young birds are not able to digest the materials that consume later as adults.

Most of our young babies and fledglings eat a diet formulated specifically for songbirds by a company called Mazuri. They also create balanced diets for reptiles, mammals, amphibians, and fish. It is a powder-based meal that we mix with warm water and syringe-feed by hand. While it sounds convenient, a batch is only fresh for an hour. Therefore, we are frequently making batches of Mazuri diet to ensure we are only feeding fresh food.

Young pigeons and doves however, require a different diet. While songbirds eat insects high in protein, pigeons and doves eat seeds, which are low in protein and high in fat. Because they are unable to digest high amounts of protein, they are syringe-fed what we call Basic diet. It is similar, however, contains the necessary amounts of fat and lower amounts of protein.

We also provide our birds with mealworms, organic fruit, and various types of seed.


How often do they eat?

In the wild, young hatchlings are completely dependent on Mom and Dad. The parents spend all of their waking hours foraging for food to feed its babies. We try to mimic this frequency as closely as possible. For this reason, our youngest hatchlings are fed every 30 minutes! Yes, you read that correctly. It is an exhausting task and it seems like the babies are never satisfied. However, if you think about it, it does make sense. As a baby, you want to grow up bigger and stronger than your siblings so you can survive better. For that reason, it's in your best interest to beg and act hungry as much as possible to maximize your chances of getting fed.

When they get a bit older and reach the fledgling stage, we continue to feed them the Mazuri formula. However, now we do it at 45 minute increments instead. At this stage, we also provide them with mealworms, fruit, and seed to help wean them off of the formula. As time goes on, they learn to beg less and less for formula and become more independent and self-feeding with what is given to them.

Young doves and pigeons are a bit of an exception and are fed by parents much less often. Therefore, we feed them Basic diet every 3 hours.

As for the adult birds that we have, it is hard to say. We watch as closely as we can but since they are usually self-feeding, it's safe to say that they just eat when they're hungry and don't when they're not!


Aren't the birds hungry overnight?

Just like you and me, birds go to sleep at night and are awake during the daylight hours. Our staff leaves the Center at 9pm at night. Soon after, the birds go to sleep and by the time we arrive again at 7am the next morning , they're up and ready to eat breakfast!

Though I do sometimes wonder... do the birds play while the staff is away?


What if a bird doesn't want to eat?

There are instances where birds do not beg for food or try to self-feed. This is relatively common in our sick or injured birds. For some birds, we can use our fingers to hold open the beak in order to get a syringe in the mouth to feed. For more stubborn birds, we sometimes use a metal gavage tube. It attaches to a syringe of food and is inserted directly down the throat and into the crop of the bird. It does not hurt the bird and allows for us to get food directly into the animal.


How does a baby learn to eat adult food?

When a bird reaches fledgling stage, we begin to feed them the formula they were fed at hatchlings less often. Though it is an adjustment for them, we make sure they have plenty of seed, fruit, and mealworms to snack on. Sometimes it takes time for the birds to pick up on the fact they can eat those things and we sometimes will offer worms or fruit by hand to show them. However, it usually takes no time at all before the birds are snacking on their new treats and it isn't long after that that they forget all about the baby formula and begin to feed on their own just like grown-ups!

Smallest of the Small

Hummingbirds are always a favorite at the Center. Despite the fact that we have been caring for over 100 birds at a time, everyone who comes in instantly flocks (forgive the pun) to the hummers. But how can you blame them with a little fellow like this?




According to those who have been at the Center the longest, this baby hummingbird is the smallest and youngest that we have ever taken in. While hesitant about the challenge, everyone at the Center instantly grew attached to him and we have all been very dedicated to giving him the special care and attention he needs. Just take a look at how small he is compared to this tissue!




Like our older juvenile hummingbirds, he is receiving a diet of warm nectar mix that offers him the crucial sugars and proteins he would normally be receiving from Mom. Because he is likely less than a week old, we have been keeping a lucky member of our staff at his side at all times. He is being fed about every 5 minutes, and though he was hesitant about the nectar mix, he soon realized it was a treat! Even though it is a lot of time and effort for one bird, we are all happy to do it. In fact, we are practically duke it out to be the one to keep this baby company!

So in conclusion, here are some more adorable pictures of the little guy. Isn't it obvious why we compete for baby hummer duty?






In case you can't get enough hummingbird action, check out this adorable video of this baby hummingbird being fed shortly after his arrival at the Center. There are also several other videos here of hummingbirds as well as other guests of the Bird Center. Enjoy!

What a Day For Columbidae!

Today was an eventful day for birds in the Family Columbidae, it seems. This family includes pigeons and doves, birds I have grown a big soft spot for during my internship at the Center.

Firstly, we got in my first baby pigeon. I have handled young dove nestlings in the past, but for the first time, I was faced with a young pigeon the size of a whole clutch of dove nestlings!




Aside from the fact that he is utterly handsome, he has also been a handful! He was brought into us because he was trapped in some oil or grease. Luckily, we were able to clean him up to make him the attractive guy he is in the photo!

We also took in a mourning dove that had just recently been placed in a flight cage. We rarely have problems with a bird once it gets to the playpen or flight cage phase of its recovery, however, it does happen on occasion.

Unfortunately for this bird, a nearby hawk spooked him, causing him to panic and fly into the bars of the cage. Other than some external trauma to his head and a small blow to his pride, he is doing well. For the time being, he is on antibiotics and pain medication to treat the injury on his noggin.

The Difficulty of Swifts and Swallows

We get a lot of different visitors of the avian variety to the Center. Finches, sparrows, robins, starlings, pigeons, doves, jays, cardinals, grackles, and orioles just to name a few. Some of our more difficult birds to care for are the swifts and the swallows.

Despite their similarity in appearance, swallows and swifts are actually not very closely related. They comprise a separate taxonomical group than swifts. Swallows are birds of the Passeriformes (or songbird) Order, just like robins, starlings, and sparrows. On the other hand, swifts are classified under an Order called Apodiformes. They share this order with hummingbirds and are grouped this way due to the fact that they have very small feet and limited ability to perch. While not closely related, swifts and swallows do share several characteristics.

Perhaps the most relevant to the work we do, is the characteristic of a much higher nutrient requirement. Unlike most of the birds we work with, swifts and swallows require a much richer diet. For this reason, we feed them the normal formula we feed our other birds, while supplementing with yogurt, Nutri-Cal (a vitamin supplement for extra energy), and insects. Despite the effort, it is relatively difficult to effectively raise these birds.

Additionally, swifts and swallows in the wild eat flying insects while in flight. This adds yet another layer of complexity to the rehabilitation of swifts and swallows. Their bodies are built for efficient flying that, compared to other birds, takes much less energy. They are also very skilled at maneuvers and can fly long distance for length periods of time. In fact, this is one characteristic that we test on our young swallows to access how mature they are and how long it will be until they can be released.

So how are they so different that they are placed in separate Orders? While originally thought to be closely related, DNA and RNA tests have showed that birds in the swallow group have likely evolved from warblers. They also show distinct differences in genetic makeup between the species.

There are also several physical differences that may help you distinguish between a swallow and a swift. While swallows tend to have a fluid wing movement during flight, swifts tend to have a jerky pattern, similar to bats. Swifts often have stubby bodies and short tails as well as wings that are longer than the body when resting. To the contrary, swallows have wider (but shorter) wings and long tails. They also perch horizontally, while swifts can only perch vertically.

Despite the similarities or differences, both families of birds are difficult to raise at the Center. They are very labor intensive and sensitive when placed in human care. Today, we received a clutch of four Tree Swallows. They are beautiful birds but demanding of attention almost constantly. From experience, however, I know that if we are able to provide the proper care these babies need, it will be very rewarding to see them take flight once they get older.

Never a Dull Moment

Because I come into the Center on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, there is a period of 4 days that I am away from the birds. Although I try to stay updated on what is going on by accessing the WILD-ONe database from home, a lot can happen in a couple of days. I often come into the Center on Thursday to see many new birds or see many old birds with new care being given. Today when I came in, there were several new birds I hadn't seen.

One of them was a young blue Jay fledgling. He came in with a ruptured air sac, likely due to an attack from a cat. Unlike humans and other mammals, birds need to take two breaths to get air to the lungs. Mammals inhale to bring air into the lungs and exhale to release it. This respiration is bidirectional, meaning that there is a mix of "old" and "new" air in the lungs. Birds on the other hand, inhale once to get air into structures called air sacs. Inhaling again brings that air into the lungs, before the bird exhales to release the air. This is a type of unidirectional respiration. The lungs in a bird only contain "new" air with higher volumes of oxygen available for diffusion into the blood. This is important in thermoregulation as well as maintaining the metabolism necessary for long periods of flight.

Air sacs are relatively close to the skin, especially in young birds, and are easily punctured if the bird is clawed by a cat or dog. When an air sac is punctured, air can leak out of the air sac into the body cavities under the skin. This is called subcutaneous emphysema. As you can see in the Blue Jay, pockets of air develop resulting in a bloating or bubbling of the skin. It is this ruptured air sac that is causing him to look much more like a bullfrog and that a Blue Jay.




Birds typically have 9 air sacs. Therefore if one is ruptured, there are still several more to direct air into the lungs. However, it is an injury that takes time to heal and it is a painful ordeal for the bird due to the extreme stretching of the skin and tissues. The air sac linings are very thin and are typically just one cell thick. For that reason, with antibiotics and time, the air sac will repair itself and the problem will subside. This blue jay will therefore receive Amoxicillin, an antibiotic to help heal the air sac lining. Additionally, he will be prescribed Meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory drug that helps reduce swelling and pain.

We also received a pair of orioles. I can not recall the reason they were taken into the Center. However, they are beautiful birds and their songs are easily recognized among the loud chaos inside the building.



We also have a couple of older Blue Jays that are just about ready to be released, as soon as a flight cage becomes available. These two fellows are doing very well and loving the space of the playpen to fly around and stretch their wings. I even caught them playing with and fighting over a piece of tissue at one point.



On a final note, the American Crow mentioned in an previous entry unfortunately had to be euthanized. He was an older bird and after fecal tests and exams, we found that he had too many parasites. We tried to treat the bird but over time, he did not show improvement. We spoke with Dr. G, a veterinarian who specializes in avian species. He advised that with medications, the crow should show an improvement over the period of 3 weeks. Unfortunately, this did not happen and he was therefore euthanized. It was not an easy decision, and I was particularly fond of the crow. However, with all of the issues he had, he must have been feeling terrible and the kindest and most selfless help we could have offered was a release from that discomfort.