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got a bird question, can some one answer it asap, please

by kenmichaels
15 replies
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There is a nest of cardinals in my back yard with 2 hatch-lings.

actually there WAS 2, i noticed a bunch of jays in the area of the nest
1 was on the ground, one is just missing.

I put the one back in its nest, but then i remembered hearing that
if a wild bird smells humans on its babies, it wont go near them again.

Does anybody know if this is true?

If the bird will be ok now, that would be great, but if you know that's not
the case, ill go get a baby bird kit, and hand feed it.
  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    I've always heard about the "human smell" thing - but with birds I haven't found it to be true. I've returned many baby birds to the nest and they seem to do OK.
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    • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      I've always heard about the "human smell" thing - but with birds I haven't found it to be true. I've returned many baby birds to the nest and they seem to do OK.
      That's awesome !, thank you.

      The poor parents are still freaking out , looking for the other one ( that's
      what it looks like to me any way )

      I haven't witnessed them going back to the nest yet, hopefully
      they will, and do their job.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    Make a few phone calls, starting with your local ASPCA or Humane Society.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    A lot of birds will literally risk their lives through feeble attempts to save their young. I doubt that they would easily abandon their young. That said, it would be best to have clean hands, and maybe use tissue paper or something to keep any of your scent from rubbing off on them, to keep them more comfortable.

    If the birds fell out of the nest, there might have been an invasion or something. And if they are frail, they likely won't live long without their parents, so the parents would come back to tend to the one there and may abandon any search for the other. How far could it go anyway?

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author ThomM
      It's been debated for years, but for the most part birds don't have a developed enough sense of smell to detect the oder of a human on it's young. Same with their sense of taste. That's why you can add cayenne pepper to bird seed to keep the squirrels from eating it. The birds can't smell or taste the pepper.
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      • Profile picture of the author seasoned
        Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

        It's been debated for years, but for the most part birds don't have a developed enough sense of smell to detect the oder of a human on it's young. Same with their sense of taste. That's why you can add cayenne pepper to bird seed to keep the squirrels from eating it. The birds can't smell or taste the pepper.
        WOW, if that pepper trick really works, you should tell people. I have seen probably over a dozen ways to prevent squirrrels from getting to food, and MOST are complex, like placing a kind of upside down tray on a pole that supports the food. The birds can fly in, and perch, but a squirrel trying to run up the pole won't be able to get past the tray.

        Steve
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        • Profile picture of the author ThomM
          Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

          WOW, if that pepper trick really works, you should tell people. I have seen probably over a dozen ways to prevent squirrrels from getting to food, and MOST are complex, like placing a kind of upside down tray on a pole that supports the food. The birds can fly in, and perch, but a squirrel trying to run up the pole won't be able to get past the tray.

          Steve
          I just did
          I don't feed the birds around here, on purpose anyways.
          But when I'm trying to keep them from my berries I have to use netting.
          When I want to keep the deer and other varmints from eating an ornamental I'll go with the pepper sprays that are on the market or make my own.

          Edit: I just remembered after I posted that, you can buy bird seed with pepper already in it.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kay King
            I just feed the squirrels, too - they have their own feeder and as long as it's stocked they don't bother the seed as much.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kurt
        Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

        It's been debated for years, but for the most part birds don't have a developed enough sense of smell to detect the oder of a human on it's young. Same with their sense of taste. That's why you can add cayenne pepper to bird seed to keep the squirrels from eating it. The birds can't smell or taste the pepper.
        It really depends on the bird. Vultures have some of the best scent senses in the animal world and can smell a carcass from miles away.

        Humming birds can smell the difference between plain and sugared water.
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        • Profile picture of the author ThomM
          Originally Posted by Kurt View Post

          It really depends on the bird. Vultures have some of the best scent senses in the animal world and can smell a carcass from miles away.

          Humming birds can smell the difference between plain and sugared water.
          That's why I said most and not all.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kurt
            Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

            That's why I said most and not all.
            And that's why I pointed out examples birds can smell very well, since you didn't.
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            • Profile picture of the author ThomM
              Originally Posted by Kurt View Post

              And that's why I pointed out examples birds can smell very well, since you didn't.
              I didn't because the majority of birds can't smell or taste very well they simply don't have a well enough developed olfactory or enough taste buds.
              Just because you gave two examples of birds that can smell doesn't disprove what I said.
              Name some song birds that have a good sense of smell and taste.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    It is NOT true. If a young bird is too young to be learning to fly, you may put it back in the nest with no repercussions. However, if it is at the age to be learning to fly, being stuck on the ground is pretty normal and you can just leave it alone and mom or dad will be watching over it. In fact, a lot of birds die in well meant rescues because of fear or because people mistake what the particular type of bird actually eats when it is small.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I don't think it has anything to do with human smell on the baby. That's an old wives tale. I learned this from Idaho - I lived right down the road from the Rapian Preserve. They were quite outreach oriented about info about birds. Of course they were more about birds of prey, but they had info about how to deal with finding any bird on the ground. It was some pretty interesting stuff to read.
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  • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
    the poor bird has wound up on the ground half a dozen times ...
    so i just made it a box, we will see how that goes.

    Its barley has feathers, so i know its not trying to fly, the nest was damaged pretty bad after the blue jays attacked it, so it just kept falling out.

    I did not want to disturb things too much. But i felt i had no choice,
    so i made a box, put the entire nest and bird in it, and duct taped it under the eave
    were it orig was....

    i just saw the male in the box, so hopefully all is well now.

    as far as the human society... that is a guaranteed death sentence around here.

    I did manage to track down some one called the bird lady, who takes care of rescue birds, but so far she hasn't answered the phone, nor returned my call.

    I have touched the bird 6 times, and the parents are still feeding it.. so i guess
    they don't care.
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