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I found this chick outside in my backyard. I live in San Fernando, CA, for reference. Can someone help me identify her breed? That way I can find out what to feed her. Right now she's on what I fed the robins I rescued (they survived really well, but I am afraid to let them into the wild, lest they die) and are currently living with my parakeets. From what I could tell, she maybe fell out of her nest, though I wasn't able to locate the nest in the tree she was under. I figured I'd leave her alone for a bit, maybe the parents would come back and get her? Although our street is infested with stray cats, she managed to survive the night. She was still crying out strongly in the morning, and my parakeets and robins kept making a racket because of her. It wasn't really in my heart to let her go, though I realise I may be messing with nature's cycle. I am almost certain she isn't in any pain, as she is very lucid and constantly begging for food.

The one characteristic that I think may help identify her is the green down on her lower back. I am pretty sure it is most visible in the photograph in which she's in my hand.
 

http://edrei.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/samantha-in-rels-hand.jpg

http://edrei.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/samantha-quarter.jpg 

 Thanks very much, in advance, for any help :)
 

 

 

Welcome to WhatBird!  Okay, you know who I am so let's get to the basics.  I have 3 chicks, like chick chicks.  You know, really hen-rooster chicks.  And baby mallards.  I have know clue what type of bird that is!  Maybe your parakeets had a baby without you knowing and it got out the cage somehow?  I know that is pretty much impossible...but it is possible.  I'm about 12% sure it might have been a parakeet baby.

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Today I woke up in a bird's nest.

Thanks for the welcome!

lol, I am pretty sure it is not a parakeet chick, as parakeet chicks are lighting in skin colour and have lighter down. Also, there's no way my birds could have laid that chick, cause the chick was about 50' away from the cage, past a couple trees!

I have 4 parakeets, and the two robins I mentioned earlier that can be viewed here: http://edrei.wordpress.com/2008/04/02/why-his-names-monkey/

 I think it may she may be a smaller bird, something related to a sparrow?


 

Just a crazy thought-could it possibly be a baby hummingbird?  I don't think it is a sparrow at all; that beak is awfully long!  The hummingbird's babies have a noticeably longer beak, but still not as long as the adult hummingbird's beak.  Could you give any more description?

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"So many sparrows, so little time!"

What birds do you have in that area? That would probably be the best place to start. For instance, if I found a baby bird in my apartment complex I would probably narrow it down to a Starling, House Sparrow, House Finch or a Mourning Dove or Rock Dove, since those are the permanent residence of my complex.

This will be a fun mystery to solve! 

This baby bird is cute btw...it looks like a miniature Starling...however, I looked up Starling chicks and they don't really look like that, their beaks are much larger and very yellow.

My first impression was hummingbird but i have no clue what one.

Here are 2 sites I found.

http://howtoenjoyhummingbirds.com/hummingbird_nests.htm

http://www.rubythroat.org/QuestionsBabies01.html 

Those pics are priceless....especially the one with the little one next to the quarter....hahaha!  What a precious little one!

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* laughs like crow, soars like eagle with vision of hawk, haunts like loon & lulls like nuthatch ....tickle tickle, feather has most powerful medicine of all...makes you laugh *

Good luck with the ID. Thanks for sharing the pics - their priceless.

Your doing a wonderful thing in rescuing these birds. Enjoy your time with them!

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Happy Birding!

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help! I did consider a hummingbird, but she's so big (at least in relation to the hummingbirds I've seen in the area, and one I actually nursed back a while ago), she's the size of a quarter, which is about the size of an adult hummingbird in these parts.

 Either way, I am saddened to announce that she passed away some time in the night. I think perhaps what I was feeding her didn't so well with her. I feel really guilty and wonder if maybe I should have let her be.... :(

 But thanks very much for your help, I am really glad in having found this site :)

 

Unless you are a licensed wildlife rehabber, you should not try to rehab a baby bird. It's beak almost makes me think it might be a tree swallow ( look at the wide mouth).

Please do yourself and the birds a favor and locate one in your area in case you find more babies.

This should be a lesson to all of us bird lovers, please, please DONT rehab without a license, its illegal and the bird will not receive the best care unless you take him to a professional.

That was definitely NOT a hookbill ( parakeet) baby.

on a rehabbers point of veiw, you need to take the baby and those robins to a rehab center. are you might not be feeding them the right food. (bugs and such) the also were born in the wild and should be in the wild.

thank you for your words mousebird