Baby Robin or Sparrow?

Hi, 

thought i'd ask here. We found a baby bird the other day in the forest (here in spain.. it was on an open path in the 35 degree heat and was not in the best of conditions) we looked around to see if there was a nest but there wasn't and to leave the baby bird there was leaving it to a certain death. We took it home and have been caring for it since. It survived the fuirst night and is getting stronger from day to day. 

Me and my girlfriend just aren't quite sure what we have found ourselves. Is it a robin or is it a sparrow? We'd like to know just to be sure that we're feeding it the correct foods. (judging by it's growth and daily health improvements i'd say we are but still, never hurts to ask) 

**Picture below**

Thanks, Tom 

 

  • Looking at the plumage I thought Dunnock, but they have a red gape around the mouth and this is yellow. Robins have a yellow gape but the speckled breast doesn't look quite right. It could well be a member of the Chat family. What are you feeding it?
  • This is a Robin. Slightly younger than your bird. The breast seems darker coloured than your one. Not definitive by any means though.

  • Yes, looking at your Robin i'd say that ours probably isn't a robin. Thanks for the pic to compare!
  • I've been doing some more research and I think that perhaps it is neither a robin nor a sparrow but a Song thrush. I was googling through pictures of Baby song thrushes and it seems very similar.

    So far we've been feeding it a mix of hard boiled egg white, oats, flax seeds, brewers yeast tablet and as many insects as we can find around the house- lot's of ants and moths. We have a lot of mosquitos but don't want to risk giving it these as you never know what kid of blood they've been drinking....

    seems to be working well so far- we're blending the mix and adding a bit of water to it... Any other insects which would be recommendable for it? I've heard worms aren't supposed to be given as they can be toxic for baby birds.

    Thanks for the advice guys!
  • I guess it was a fledgling and it's mother was probably feeding it, outwith the most exceptional of cases you should just leave alone.

    As for its diet, its mother would have known best, and I doubt that would have included boiled eggs and yeast tablets.
  • I might be mistaken, but I do not think that it is a Song Thrush. The breast markings would be larger and more pronounced. It could be a Nightingale, but maybe the top of the head would be darker. The diet in the wild would be live insects, so try to increase the ratio of insects. Can you get live mealworms or wax worms from a pet shop or online? Not maggots though. That's a no no.
  • Hey there Cyclist,

    Thanks for pointing out the obvious about its mother knowing best. Great advice.

    The bird was very close to death, in the middle of a path under 35 degree heat, it could barely hold its head up and wasn't able to support its own weight. Leaving things to nature would very likely have meant a pretty horrible death being swarmed by ants and slowly dehydrating below the Mediterranean sunshine.

    Only four days on and it is bouncing around and starting to try out its wings.

    More insects will be being included into its diet though.

    Thanks for the advice- but next time maybe don't bother if it's just going to be sarcastic, guessed-at comments....
  • Hi Monkeycheese,

    Thanks for the advice. We're definitely going to start to increase the ratio of insects. I'll bear them in mind. Malworms and Wax worms! Nice one,

    Thanks!
  • If you can get live mealworms or wax worms, they will need to be 'dealt with' before feeding them to the bird. If they are in one piece and alive they may pass through the digestive system intact and will be passed alive, thus giving no nutrition to the bird. I experienced this with the blackbird nestlings that I recently cared for. If you're not squeamish, pierce the wax worms with a scalpel and cut off the head of the mealworms. Try to avoid getting any of the residue in your eyes...
  • Okidokes, thanks for the info. I'll bear that in mind!