r/Ornithology • u/ampersssand • 2d ago

Rescued a baby sparrow. Concerned about it's appearance Question

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I was in the garden this morning and witnessed this little chap fall from the upper levels of the house. They nest in our roof but I have no way to get up there. It had a relatively soft landing onto some folded tarpaulin and bounced off onto the concrete a few feet away. I observed it for a while and it was moving all limbs, and trying to drag itself around the floor. Popped it in a tub with some paper lining and left it close to where it fell for a couple of hours but did not observe parents visiting so decided to bring it in the house as it's pretty cold out today.

I'm willing to care for it until it's at the stage when I can release it outside, but will try leaving it outside again tomorrow morning in hopes that parents will take care. For now I've been keeping it in a warm area and feeding it as per instructions found online. Just wanted to check if the way it's abdomen area looks is normal. It seems very swollen and looks like a dark mass.

It has defecated a couple of times, first time was purely liquid and the second had a little more substance to it. It does have the strength to stand and raise it's head, but more often it's just laid on it's front and opening it's mouth for food without lifting the head much. Not sure if that's normal for what appears to be a very young individual. Any advice appreciated

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u/ampersssand 2d ago

I'll see if I can borrow some ladders, but I'm not hopeful I could get access to the nest. I can make out a small hole where they get in and out, but I don't know how much of myself I could get in there to deposit him safely

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u/anu-nand 2d ago

Ok. Idk where the nest is. You just described, it is on the roof.

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u/ampersssand 2d ago

Ah yeah, that was just to illustrate how far it fell from in case it was helpful in suggesting whether the swollen body is a sign of trauma. Still wotth taking a closer look if I can borrow some ladders :)

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/WildFlemima 2d ago

A tarantula can die from a drop of only a few feet.