Raising a baby sparrow
What should you do if you've found a baby sparrow?
Have you found a baby sparrow and don't know how to help it? Baby sparrows often fall out of the nest or get lost while they are learning to fly. Your help can be crucial to their survival. Here is how to do it properly.
How can you tell whether it's a nestling or a fledgling?
First, it is important to work out whether you are dealing with a nestling (a chick without feathers) or a fledgling that already has feathers. This will help you decide how to act properly.
Nestlings are completely dependent on your help.
Feathered fledglings are often just practising flying, and their parents are nearby.
How can you help a nestling?
If you have found a nestling, it is important to give it warmth and food. Use hand-rearing formula in a syringe or a dropper for feeding. Never give it water, because nestlings can choke.
Food for nestlings:
Use a hand-rearing formula for birds (Nutribird A21, or a similar one for wild birds).
A drop of probiotic or a little crushed bird calcium can be added occasionally
Never give milk, bread or water directly into the beak!
➡ Mix the formula in a ratio of 1:3 (1 part powder, 3 parts lukewarm water). The texture should be smooth and lump-free, like yoghurt.
➡ The food must be warm (around 38°C) – never cold or too hot! You can test a drop on the inside of your wrist.
Feeding technique
✅ Use a needle-free syringe or a soft pipette – this is the safest way to make sure the chick gets enough food.
✅ Feed from the side of the beak, gently giving it droplets and waiting for it to swallow before you continue.
✅ Do not put food directly into the throat! – there is a risk of choking or food getting into the windpipe.
✅ The chick will open its beak by itself when it is hungry – don't force it.
Feeding frequency
0–3 days old: Every 20–30 minutes (from morning to evening, not at night).
4–7 days: Every 30–45 minutes.
7–10 days: Every hour.
10+ days: The intervals get longer and the chick starts learning to eat by itself.
➡ Once its crop (the pouch below the neck) is empty, you can feed it again.
How to keep a naked chick warm
Because it has no feathers, it cannot regulate its body temperature and can die quickly if it gets chilled.
✅ An incubator or improvised heater:
Use a heating pad (place it under a towel, never directly under the chick).
If you don't have a heater, you can use a bottle of warm water (wrapped in a towel).
Ideal temperature:
1–5 days: 34–36°C
5–10 days: 30–32°C
10+ days: 28°C, then lower it gradually.
✅ Nest:
Make a soft nest out of warm cotton cloths or paper towels in a small box with ventilation holes.
Do not use cotton wool – it can get tangled around the chick's legs.
➡ How can you tell it is cold? If it doesn't move, shivers and is not active. If it is too hot, it will spread its wings and breathe with its beak open
How do you feed an older sparrow?
If the chick already has feathers but is not yet eating on its own, its diet should be adapted to its developmental needs.
Type of food
✅ Hand-rearing formula (Nutribird A21 or similar) – mixed thicker than for younger chicks, like a runny purée.
✅ Soaked kibble for small-breed puppies
✅ Finely chopped insects – dried mealworms, fruit flies, finely chopped grasshoppers.
✅ Soft food for insectivorous birds – available in bird shops.
✅ Soaked seeds – millet, canary seed, oats (leave them in water to soften).
🚫 Do not give milk, bread, dry unsoaked seeds, or salted or seasoned food!
Feeding frequency
10–14 days old: Every 1–2 hours; it may start pecking at food on its own.
15–20 days old: Every 3–4 hours; leave food available so that it starts learning to eat by itself.
20+ days: It starts feeding itself but may still ask to be hand-fed a few times a day.
➡ A sign that it is full: the chick stops begging for food and its crop (the pouch below the neck) is full.
Moving on to self-feeding
✅ Place a small dish with small seeds and live insects nearby.
✅ Show it the food – gently tap the dish with your finger so that it sees that this is food.
✅ When you see it starting to eat on its own, gradually cut down on hand-feeding.
✅ Always provide fresh water in a shallow dish (once it can drink by itself).
➡ Once it has fully switched to feeding itself and can fly, it can be prepared for release into the wild.
Why is it important to help a baby sparrow?
Helping small birds such as sparrows contributes to preserving the balance of nature. Every bit of help, however small, can save a life.
Remember
Never try to feed a chick on your own without finding out how to do it first. The right food and care are key to its recovery and return to the wild.