Bird Homecare
For Further Information --> Further Information
Mourning Dove (& Band-Tailed Pigeon) Team
Looking for a bird that needs peace and quiet? Help out with mourning doves! They can have up to three clutches per season starting early spring. The hospital receives adults year-round. Basic care includes:
Nestling: small square "butterfly habitat" mesh enclosure, feeding every 2 or 3 hr (depending on age), possible medications
Fledgling: larger "butterfly habitat" mesh enclosure, feeding every 3 hours until it becomes self-feeding, possible medications
Adult on cage rest: larger "butterfly habitat' mesh enclosure, medications, major disruption like cage cleaning only every 2-3 days, as quiet a room as possible
Adult pre-release: 8'x10' aviary minimum; alternatively providing aviary coverage for a satellite site on vacation
Releasing birds! Adults often have to be released where they came from, and a busy satellite site appreciates someone willing to help release. This is especially true for band-tailed pigeons - a larger bird in the same family but with a specialized habitat (Orinda, Danville, Lafayette, others).
Prerequisites: Mourning doves are not fed like other baby birds - they have a tube inserted into their crop for each feeding. Must be comfortable doing this type of feeding or willing to spend some in-hospital time learning. Important to be able to check crop for food - can be done visually but usually done by feel on the older fledglings. Adults are very high strung birds and do best out of the hospital in a quiet room. Birds on medications will need to be returned to the hospital for tech checks every 3 days and/or vet checks every 7 days.
Supplies are available at the hospital, though enclosures (Amazon) and seed (local wild bird stores) can be bought as a donation.
(6/3/21)
Jpabello at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Hummingbird Team
Hummingbird homecare is fascinating and rewarding. These unique birds are small but, mighty.
Hummingbirds develop quickly, however when they are very young, they need to be fed every 20 - 30 minutes, excluding night time. Feeding is quick and generally easy, as hummers are quick to gape. Young hummers start in a small plastic enclosure in a nest.
They graduate to a small cage when they can perch, are self-feeding and starting to fledge. Once they are self-feeding, cleaning the cage and changing food is a simple task.
When they are flying well, they are put in a larger indoor cage and eventually go to an outside aviary to strengthen their wings and become proficient flyers before release.
If you are interested in joining the hummingbird team, you will be taught first-hand by a team member: what and how to feed, hummingbird housing, as well as how to pick up a hummer, and the tools you will need to make these things happen. Hummingbirds can not be kept in a dark room, garage, or anywhere harsh chemicals or pesticides are present. These delightful flying gems rarely habituate to their human caregivers, making their placement in your home easier than other species.
(6/3/21)
Towhee Team
The plain brown bird with a ton of personality! If you love a challenge, the California Towhee is for you! These birds require a bit of patience but will entertain you with their 'towhee dance’ before eating. They are wonderful and rewarding birds!
Nestling: housed in small net cage with feedings every 30-45 minutes
Fledgling: housed in medium net cage with feedings every 45-60 minutes
Self-feeding: housed in flight cage and then off to aviary
All enclosures and food are provided for Towhee Team members.
(2/6/22)
Quail Team
The California Quail is our state bird. A real treasure that we see scurrying throughout our area.
Hatching: Are kept warm in a special quail carrier for 7 to 10 days. They are self feeders. Food and water are provided twice a day. Cleaning is done two to three times a day.
Fledgling: Are placed in a quail/bird cage. They will be in the cage for about two weeks. Feeding and cleaning are done twice a day.
Pre-release: The quail will go to an aviary and stay there until they show ability to fly high enough to be safe from predators.
House Finch Team
House Finches are wonderful birds in homecare! They are easy feeders who do well and progress steadily in homecare. It is a gratifying to see their individual personalities develop as you care for them. Homecare is essential for this species. They are great beginner birds because they do not need specialized care and taking care of house finches at home is very satisfying. House finches are one of the most abundant bird species in the hospital. It is amazing to see them go from babies to flying out of their cages at release.
You can keep the enclosures on a counter-top, ideally in a separate room with natural lighting and good ventilation.
Nestling: in a small plastic enclosure, may still need heat (heating pad), and an artificial nest is provided. Fed every 30 minutes during the day.
Fledgling: In a wire Beginner Cage with 2 perches. Fed every 45 minutes, progressing to 90 minutes, and then 3 hours as their weight increases and stabilizes. They also have seed, fresh produce, and water in their enclosure.
Adult pre-release: once they self-feed and maintain their weight for 2 days they can have their bands removed and be moved to a flight cage outdoors. There they are fed fresh produce, seeds, and water. After a week you get the joy of releasing them back into the wild!
Mentorship will be provided. You can work with different stages of development based on your schedule and available space. We could really use a few more volunteers as there are so many house finches brought into the hospital, and they do very well in homecare.
Fun facts:
Banding studies show house finches may live to be over 9 years old in the wild.
Ironically, house finches rarely use bird houses to build their nest in; instead they seem to prefer locations such as: coniferous trees, cactus plants, ledges, street lamps, ivy on buildings, and hanging planters.
Goldfinch Team - Under Construction
Do you have some extra time on your hands? Would you like to make a contribution to the rehab effort? Goldfinch home care might be right for you.
Goldfinches are the smallest finches we care for, and they grow up fast, but they need a helping hand before they can return to the wild.
Goldfinches do better in home care than at the hospital.
The Goldfinch Team volunteers take care of these birds at all stages of their development, from hand feeding as
Nestling: in a small plastic enclosure, fed xxxx (timing)
Fledgling: in a Beginner Cage, fed every X hours? (timing)
Self-feeder: in a Flight Cage to gain strength, fed twice a day? (timing)
Pre-release: in an aviary for acclimation outside, fed xxx once per day?
They are easy to hand feed (great gapers) and a joy to have around, especially in groups. Did you know a group of goldfinches is called a Charm? There's a good reason for that!
Jay Team (California Scrub and Steller's Jays)
Are you interested in learning more about the beautiful blue corvids of California? The California scrub-jays are great to watch because they’re smart, animated, vocal, and playful. The hospital admits over 100 scrub-jays each year, with the majority being nestlings and fledglings during the Peak Season. Because of the smarts and inquisitive nature of scrub-jays they do much better in homecare where they can receive extra enrichment and stimulation. We are always looking to add members to our recently reestablished Jay Team.
The Jay Team volunteers take care of these birds at all stages of their development:
Nestling: hand feed while housed in a small plastic enclosure
Fledgling: housed in wire table-top Jay Cages
Self-Feeder: housed in a wire table-top Flight Cage to gain strength and skills
Pre-Release: in an outdoor aviary for flight and acclimation
They are great gapers and are a lot of fun to teach how to eat on their own.
They learn quickly from watching you and each other. They are very social and do best in pairs or groups. You will enjoy listening to them create their own language and communicate with one another.
Enclosures, diet components, training, and mentorship are provided. It makes a lot of sense that a group of jays is called a band or a party! So come join the party and be a part of the Jay Team!
(7/22/21)
California Scrub-Jay
Steller's Jay
Raven Team
Ravens are the largest members of the corvid family, which includes magpies and crows. They have complex social lives and their intelligence rivals that of monkeys and great apes. They are slow-maturing and must be raised with other ravens in order to have the social skills they need to survive in the wild.
Nestling: indoors, large dog-type crate, feeding every 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on age)
Fledgling: small to medium outdoor aviary, feeding every 1-3 hours
Pre-release juvenile and adult: large outdoor aviary, feeding once/day
Prerequisites for ravens: Experience with crow homecare is recommended
(2/27/23)
Crow Team
Are you interested in learning more about one of the smartest species in North America? Every summer, Lindsay Wildlife Hospital receives dozens of baby crows that need care and attention. Healthy baby crows gape easily and are very inquisitive. Due to their social nature, baby crows must be raised with other crows in order to be releasable.
Nestling: large dog-type crate indoors, hand feeding every 30 minutes to 1 hour, may require supplemental heat (depending on age)
Fledgling: large dog-type crate indoors or small to medium outdoor aviary (preferred) if space allows, hand feeding every 1-3 hours
Pre-release juvenile and adult: large outdoor aviary, hand feeding only if necessary - crows should be self feeding at this point
Insectivores
Insectivorous birds include: Swallows, orioles, bushtits, wrens, warblers, phoebes, bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and waxwings. Some of these
birds are also seed eaters or nectar drinkers, but they all eat insects as babies. All are beautiful with their own personalities, there is no feeling more wonderful than caring for these babies.
The team needs help with birds of all ages, but mainly nestlings and fledglings.
Nestling: require the most time commitment depending on age. First week babies need feeding every half hour from early morning until dusk. They do not require feeding at night. Babies are kept in a plastic box on heat.
Pre-fledge and fledgling: depending on their age, need to be fed every hour to two hours. Feedings decrease with age. They do require a flight cage, which vary in size and are portable.
Fledges that have learned to eat on their own, and adult: need an aviary before they are ready for release. The team has one aviary available for pre-release transfers, but if you have an aviary, or the space for one, the team could use the additional space!
The team will provide all necessary training.
(2/7/22)
Barn Swallows
Cedar Waxwings
For Further Information
New Volunteers
For further information on any of the teams described above, please fill out this form:
Wildlife Rehabilitation Interest Form
or contact us at: homecarerecruiting@lindsaywildlife.org
Current Volunteers
If you are interested in assisting any of these teams, please contact the Hospital Volunteer Manager and indicate which species and developmental stages are of interest. Your information will be forwarded to the appropriate team contact.
(2/8/22)