The Blackbirds are intelligent and affectionate animals should always live in freedom in their natural habitat. But sometimes we have to keep them in captivity. This would be the case of the young that we can find outside their nest and that do not know how to fend for themselves as they cannot yet feed themselves, but, also, adult blackbirds that present some injury or disease may need help.
In this article we are going to focus on feeding the blackbird as a fundamental part of its recovery before releasing it. Do you have a rescued blackbird in captivity? Not sure which is the most suitable blackbird food? Then this article interests you, keep reading!
Characteristics of the common blackbird
The blackbird is a common bird in Europe. It presents sexual isomorphism, which means that the female and the male are different at first glance. Thus, the male is totally black and has a yellow-orange bill and eye ring, while the female is dark brown with a brown bill. Its size is about 25 centimetres in length.
They are insectivores, so they are provided with a fine and elongated beak, and they breed during the months of April and May, making nests in bushes, hedges, sheds, piled up firewood, etc. The nest is made with various materials. They lay about 4-6 eggs. They also accept to feed on berries, caterpillars, mollusks and even human food.
The young at birth do not know how to fly or feed themselves, being totally dependent on their parents, who share their care. The eggs, mottled and bluish in color, hatch approximately 2 weeks after laying and another 2 weeks later the young leave the nest, remaining hidden in the ground. The young develop the ability to fly and feed themselves at the same time. The still immature male is black with a blackish bill. Its habitat is gardens, hedges, scrub land, trees, etc. We will see in the next section the importance of feeding the common blackbird for the young.
How to feed a newborn blackbird?
As we have said, blackbirds are insectivorous birds, although they can consume some other food. During their first weeks of life, they are fed directly by their parents, who introduce food into their mouths. The young remain in the nest, opening their beaks each time the adults approach. Without their parents, their survival would be impossible, since they do not know how to use their beak to get food alone.
For this reason, it is of vital importance, if we find a blackbird that is breeding outside its nest and lost, without the possibility of it returning to its parents, that we feed it as we are going to explain. First of all, we must make a breeding paste with the following ingredients:
- I think for cats
- Boiled egg
- Bread crumbs
- Water
The preparation of the pasta is as follows:
- We cover a handful of feed with warm water until it softens so that we can easily crush it with a cutlery.
- Cook the egg and remove the shell.
- We crush the egg and the feed and mix them.
- We add breadcrumbs until the pasta is solid enough to be able to pick it up with tongs, but without being too hard.
- Administer at room temperature.
We can keep it covered in a glass container and we must make a new one every day, even if we have more.
How to make a pigeon open its beak?
It may happen that the bird does not open its beak to feed, something frequent if it has been fed previously by its parents. Here we explain how to administer the breeding paste to feed a newborn blackbird chick, taking into account the following indications:
- The most difficult thing is to get the little blackbird to identify us as an adult of its kind and, consequently, open its mouth. At first the normal thing is that we have to open its mouth very delicately, which we can do by gently pressing both sides of the corners of the beak.
- With the mouth open, we will introduce the pasta with tweezers as far back as possible, always with great care.
- Once the bird connects our claws with food, which usually happens after the first day, it will open its mouth as soon as it sees us.
- We should give the paste approximately every two hours, being able to rest during the dark period.
- You have to give it, at each take, the necessary times until we see that it is satisfied and stops ordering food.
This paste is recommended for insectivorous birds, that is why it adjusts to the correct diet of the common blackbird. If the baby we collect from the street is of another species or we have doubts, we can always consult a specialist. Of course, we should only pick up a baby if it is not possible for it to be reunited with its parents and its life is in danger.
How to feed a blackbird in captivity?
If we collect an injured adult blackbird, feeding will be much easier, since they can eat alone. We can search the market for pasta for insectivores, grain food for insectivores and we can even acquire insects directly, such as maggot larvae among others. These products can be found in physical stores for pet products, online stores and in veterinary clinics for exotic animals.
Care for blackbirds
In addition to feeding the common blackbird, it is important to observe the following recommendations for its care:
- If we have found a baby blackbird, we must install it in a cardboard box of the appropriate dimensions. This box will keep it at a good temperature and, in addition, it will isolate it from outside stimuli that may scare it. We can also use it to transport it. We will keep the box normally open and we will only close it, always leaving openings for air to pass through, when necessary. In a cardboard box it will not hurt.
- In its box it is recommended that we install a stick that is sufficient for its size, placed at a medium height and that crosses it from side to side. The blackbird will love to perch on it to chirp, eat and rest.
- On the floor of the box we can put underpass or any material that protects the cardboard and can be removed and replaced to keep the floor always clean.
- We can put the box in a high place, because they like to be at a certain height and, in addition, so you can practice flying when the time comes.
- It must be taken into account that they will make their removals anywhere, since they are not used to using a certain surface or place.
- We can deworm it (in fact, without deworming internally, we can hear them coughing if they are infested), always consulting products and doses with a specialized veterinarian.
- If we pick up an adult in poor condition, they will need veterinary assistance, which we can obtain at a clinic with a veterinarian trained in birds or at our closest wildlife recovery center. In these cases we must keep them in a large cage to avoid stress and anxiety.
We must also know that blackbird babies begin to be able to feed themselves and fly practically at the same time, when they are about two weeks old. From that moment we can plan their release. If it is an adult blackbird, we can release it once it recovers from the damage that prevented it from fending for itself. In the next section we will see how to take this step with guarantees.
How to release an adult bird?
After reviewing the diet of the common blackbird and its basic care, we will see what to do to be able to return it to the wild. As we discussed, the first step is for the baby to know how to feed itself and fly or for the adult to be fully restored.
If we have taken care of a baby blackbird, it is important that it does not interact with more than one person since, otherwise, it runs the risk of getting used to it and having difficulties once it lives in freedom, since it could approach who does not owe so much if we talk about people as well as other animals. We must look for a wildlife recovery center, since it will be in these facilities where the reintroduction to the environment can be carried out with guarantees, especially if we are talking about a young.
In these places they will band the blackbird and move it to a closed enclosure so that it develops the ability to catch its own food. Once proven that he can feed himself, it will only allow him free access to the outside so that he can adapt to his new life while still having a safe source of food nearby.
