Baby Green Heron Abandoned

The following story about a baby green heron was shared with us by the Wild Nest Bird Rehab in Georgia.

We are a nonprofit, wildlife rehabilitation organization based in Decatur, Georgia. Our mission is to rehabilitate and release injured and/or orphaned songbirds.

On Memorial Day weekend, we received a nestling green heron in dire condition. The rescuer found the baby on the ground in an area where they are common. No nest nor other birds were in the area. The rescuer made a new nest and waited a few hours to see if a parent would return. When none did, he sought rehab assistance and contacted us.

Upon intake, we provided the baby with some immediate hydration and placed him in a nest in a brooder so he could warm up. After he rested and perked up a bit, we performed a standard exam. No physical injury was found. We let him rest a bit longer, but within an hour he was perched up on the side of his nest and was asking for food!

So, the next step was to give him some nutrition. When he wouldn’t self-feed, we went with our standard hand-feeding protocol for baby birds: using formula. We used an approach similar to how mourning doves are fed. Surprisingly, he was quite easy to feed.

Our formula for his species uses EmerAid IC Carnivore. It contains critical ingredients to help baby birds grow and develop. We really weren’t sure he was going to make it overnight, but the next morning he was up and ready to be fed.