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.