PLEASE WATCH THE NEST CONTINUOUSLY FOR ONE HOUR FOR THE RETURN OF THE MOTHER. ♦ Keep the baby warmed to an outside temperature-between 85-90 degrees. If it starts open-mouth breathing or its neck is outstretched, it is too hot. ♦ If not, line a plastic margarine cup with tissue and keep the baby warm (this is essential) by placing it under a gooseneck lamp about 5 inches away from the bulb. ♦ Try to keep the baby in the nest if possible.
IF YOU FIND A HATCHLING HUMMINGBIRD, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED IT! GET HELP IMMEDIATELY. Here is an abridged version of PW’s expert advice:
BABY HUMMINGBIRD HOW TO
To keep these youngsters out in the wild where they belong and make sure that hummingbirds in genuine peril have the best chance for survival, Project Wildlife in San Diego has published guidelines on when and how to rescue young hummingbirds. Panicked calls to nature centers, zoos, Audubon societies, and bird observatories often go something like this: “I’ve been watching a hummingbird nest and the mother hasn’t been back for two days and I’m afraid the babies are going to starve to death!” (If mama hadn’t been back for two days, the nestlings would already be dead.) Observers unaware that this dramatic change in the mother’s behavior is part of the normal nesting cycle may miss the short feeding visits and think that the nestlings have been orphaned or abandoned. This is a critical time for hummingbird nests with a human audience. These visits occur at intervals ranging from less than ten minutes to more than an hour and a half. To avoid attracting the attention of predators, she stays away from the nest entirely except for the few seconds it takes to feed them. At this point, 10 to 12 days after hatching, the mother no longer needs to brood them to keep them warm, even at night. Once the nestlings’ pinfeathers break open and expand into an insulating coat of true feathers, their metabolism is ready to switch to “warm-blooded” (homeothermic) mode. The nestlings need this near-constant attention at first because they are “cold-blooded” (poikilothermic) at hatching and require their mother’s body heat to live and grow. Female hummingbirds spend large amounts of time sitting on their nests during the first three to four weeks of the nesting cycle, incubating the eggs and brooding the tiny, featherless chicks. Hummingbirds are frequent victims of misplaced concern. The greatest tragedy is that many of these “orphans” never needed intervention in the first place. Inappropriate diet is a major killer, resulting in stunted growth, rubbery bones, and feathers that break as they mature (if they mature at all). It’s wildlife baby season over much of North America, a time when people with big hearts and inadequate information sentence untold thousands of young wild birds and mammals to needless suffering and death. If the baby is still the in nest and not peeping constantly, read on….DO NOT contact me about it-I can’t help you, and the bird may die while you’re waiting for me to respond.To find one, use the links at the end of this post or a Web search, or call your state wildlife agency for a referral.
Contact a wildlife rescue organization IMMEDIATELY.If you need help for a baby hummingbird in obvious danger or distress (fallen from the nest and unable to fly, injured, peeping constantly, covered with ants, etc.): NOTE: This post is about how to determine whether or not baby hummingbirds are actually in need of rescue (spoiler: most “orphans” aren’t).