How Long Can a Baby Bird Go Without Food or Water? (Explained)

Baby birds are mostly helpless without the care of their parents, but they can survive for some time on their own. Still, they can only go without food or water for so long.

A baby bird can go without food or water for as long as 24 hours, but the parents will typically feed it as often as every 3-4 hours. Most baby birds get their liquid from food and do not drink. Pigeons are an exception. They will drink crop milk from their mothers or formula from rehabilitators.

How Often Do Baby Birds Need Food?

Birds will feed their babies multiple times a day, every 3-4 hours for new hatchlings, every 5 hours for nestlings, and every 6 hours for fledglings.

Based on its physical features, you can tell whether a bird is a hatchling, nestling, or fledgling.

If a bird has not yet opened its eyes, it is a hatchling. If it has its eyes open but doesn’t have feathers yet, it’s a nestling. If it has both, then it’s a fledgling.

Fledglings are still dependent on their parents but may leave the nest and return.

If a baby bird’s parents die, it can still survive without food for 24 hours. If just one parent dies, the other will take on caring for the young full-time.

How Often Do Baby Birds Need To Drink?

Songbird nestlings get all of their liquid from food, not from drinking, so they can go as long as 24 hours without hydration.

Pigeon and dove nestlings do drink liquids.

If a rehabilitator rescues a baby pigeon or dove, they’ll feed it the same formula you would give a baby parrot about every two to three hours.

How Do Birds Produce Milk for Their Babies?

Only some birds produce milk for their babies instead of feeding them solid food right away. These include pigeons, doves, flamingos, and emperor penguins.

These birds produce milk in the crop, known as “crop milk,” and they regurgitate it directly into their babies’ mouths.

This is the only food that the hatchlings eat for the first few days of life, and it is very rich in fats and proteins.

To learn more about milk production in birds, see this article we wrote on the four bird species that feed their young with milk.

When To Rescue a Baby Bird

Before you rescue a baby bird, make sure that it has truly been orphaned.

Watch the nest for at least two hours to ensure that a parent bird isn’t coming for it before you make a judgment.

It is tempting to take in a baby bird yourself, but the best thing you can do if a bird has truly been orphaned is to bring it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

This is especially true if the bird is a native species in the United States. In these cases, the law prohibits you from taking in the baby bird or birds.

Still, there are guidelines that you can consider if you must care for an orphaned bird.

Following these will increase the likelihood that the bird survives and that you are not penalized for taking in the bird.

Guidelines for Rescuing Baby Birds

Keep in mind these guidelines if you decide to rescue a baby bird:

• Take the bird to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. A professional will know how to determine what the bird needs and how to administer care appropriately.
• Never take in a native species in the United States. These birds are protected by The Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits the possession of native birds. This act also applies in Mexico, Canada, Japan, and Russia.
• Never feed a dehydrated or injured bird. If a bird is debilitated or dehydrated, its digestive system will shut down, and any food you give will sit and ferment in the crop.
• Don’t give baby birds liquids, including water. They can easily choke on liquids and die. Even birds that drink liquids as babies, like mourning doves, should only be fed by experienced rehabilitators.
• Remember that birds of prey are dangerous. Hawks, owls, and other raptors have sharp beaks, and even babies can seriously injure you if you try to take them in.
• If a featherless bird has fallen from the nest, return it rather than taking it in. A baby bird’s best chance of survival is with its parents, and the idea that touching a baby bird will lead to abandonment is a myth.

How Much Do Baby Birds Eat?

Baby birds eat about 10% of their body weight each time they feed and about 30% of their body weight each day.

For insect-eating birds, this translates to about 720 insects per day.

This is why insect-eating birds like swallows are considered great pest control; just consider how many insects a whole brood of swallows would consume.

And once birds get older, they eat even more. Some adult birds eat as much as 50% of their body weight each day, like adult cardinals.

Others, like hummingbirds, eat as much as 100% of their body weight.

Typically, the smaller the bird, the higher the percentage of its body weight it will eat in a given day. This number will also go up in cold weather.

Tips for Feeding Baby Birds

Typically, feeding baby birds should be left to the professionals.

However, if you do find yourself in a position where you have to feed a baby bird, you should consider these tips:

• Make sure you choose appropriate food. Chopped mealworms are a good choice for insect-eating birds; just make sure that you cut them into small enough pieces that the baby birds can process them. Avoid feeding birds earthworms or waxworms, which can make them sick or cause them to choke.
• Watch the crop to know whether it’s had enough. You can tell that a bird is full by looking at its crop, which sits at the base of the neck. If it is enlarged, it means that there is food in the crop. This should go away after about three or four hours, and if it doesn’t, it’s a sign that something is wrong in the digestive system.
• If you’re feeding formula, make sure it’s at an appropriate temperature. Baby birds won’t eat formula if it’s too cold, and it can burn them if it’s too hot. Aim for a temperature between 105 °F and 110 °F (40.55 °C and 43.33 °C).
• Don’t put too much food in the bird’s mouth. If the bird can’t process the food in a few seconds, it’s too much, and they risk breathing it in.
• Use either a spoon or a syringe to deliver food. Make sure that the head is supported in either case.