Hi all,
We found this baby on the ground in one of the paddocks during heavy rain, another chick had died close by where it had drowned. I guess their nest must have collapsed from the wind and rain. I'm not sure what it is (we named in Anzac), our general consensus is either a Brown Honeyeater or a Blackbird. Any help or advise would be appreciated. So far we are feeding Anzac insects, worms and tiny pieces of bread soaked in warm water mixed with honey.
Firstly what species is it, and secondly what should we be feeding little Anzac?
Thank you.
Got it, finally :)
What may help is to know which town/state you are in. :) No Blackbird though. Maybe an Apostlebird. Did you see the parents at all?
Hi Windhover,
We live about 24 km west of Maryborough, QLD. I have looked up pictures of the Apostle Bird and the adults that I saw (which were dive bombing me) fit the profile of the adult Apostle birds exactly, same tail, same size and colour. Initially I was being bombed by the birds as I was out looking for the horses, it was only at the last second that I noticed sitting near my feet looking up at me was little Anzac, his dead sibling nearby. I think you may very well be right, thank you for your help, I'll post up another photo of him/her in another week or so.
If you can see the mud nest and have a chance, try and place the chick back in there and let the adults take care of it. For an immediate and emergency situation (I would suspect they are carnivorous to at least some degree so worst-case scenario) try some Wombaroo insectivore mix mixed with good, fresh beef mince as per pack instructions and use a skewer to administer the small blobs of made balls and dip into some water to lubricate and that makes it easier for the chick to get down. Don't force it! :) Good luck. Still best to try and get hold of some wildlife rescue people and ask for advice. In any case, feed every 15-30 minutes and see how it takes to it. Once they get bigger they don't eat as frequently, generally speaking. :)
Hi Windhover,
The nest is gone, it was destroyed by the intense wind and rain we had sweep through here last week. We took Anzac into the Vets today and they in turn rang a Wildlife carer to come and pick him up. He is a Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike apparently, a beautiful bird. We'll drop by the carer's place every now and then for a visit to see how he is going.
Hi Viking,Hi Windhover,to the question, what to feed chicks,(and other widlife), I know, it's probabely not a good idea to promote a certain brand of produce. But the "Wombaroo" mixes are excellent, easy to use following instructions on the lable,and work well.The Animal Emergency Centre uses them, and so do the wild life carers in our aerea.
M-L
Good on you Viking! :)
I have never seen a BFCS so small and in all honesty it never even crossed my mind. I can see how it could be one of those though. Beautiful birds and you have done a great deed! :)
Thank you for asking about this chick and thank you for all the answers and especially your photos. I have one in my care and was still trying to correctly identify it and your pics helped immensely.
Gypsy Lizard signing out.