Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release
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(530) 432-5522
Songbirds
What is a Songbird?
Songbird Emergency?
1. Call (530) 432-5522
2. Do not give the bird any food or water. This may kill it.
3. Keep in a secure box or pet carrier. Cover with cloth.
4. Keep the bird warm, 80-90 degrees F. You can use a heating pad set on low underneath the box. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. If it is too hot, place a towel between the box and the heating pad. Do not use a heating pad on an injured adult bird that you think may have hit a window or sustained some other type of head injury.
5. Keep the box in a dark, quiet place away from people
What is a Songbird?
![[Non-native birds]](sb_img/sb_robin_180.jpg)
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A Song-bird is a general term for the Passerine family (perching birds). This family includes over half of all birds. There are two main types of songbirds: Percocial Birds and Altrical Birds. |
Precocial Birds (fuzzy and can walk - chicklike) Precocial birds are hatched as soft downy chicks. These babies can follow their parents around shortly after hatching and do not have to be fed by a parent at all. These babies can peck at the ground for food while following their mother and stay with her for warmth and protection. Examples of precocial birds include the domestic chicken, many species of ducks and geese, and rails and crakes. Ducks, Geese and Killdeer are precocial birds. These babies usually require help when they are separated from their parents. Call Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release when you find one of these birds.
Altricial Birds are hatched without feathers, their eyes are closed, and they rely totally on their parents for warmth and food. Babies must be fed every 15 to 20 minutes from sunrise to sunset. Robins and Jays are examples of altricial type birds. These birds have three stages of development: Pinkie, Nestling, and Fledgling.
Corvidae is a part of the passerine family of birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies and nutcrackers. Collectively its members are called corvids and there are over 120 species. They are medium to large birds with strong feet and bills, rictal bristles and a single moult each year (most passerines moult twice). Corvids are found worldwide except for the tip of South America and the polar ice.
Piciformes are another common bird group under the passerine family, the best-known being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. In general, the Piciformes are insectivorous and have parrot-like zygodactyl feet and two toes forward and two back, an arrangement that has obvious advantages for birds that spend much of their time on tree trunks. Piciformes do not have down at any age, only true feathers. All nest in cavities and have altricial young.