Page 281 - Hand rearing birds second

270 Hand-Rearing Birds

Figure­16.4­ Chicks in care due to an oil spill, with adult birds visible behind the shared wall. Source: photo
courtesy of International Bird Rescue.

Once a chick is less downy and around 2 months old, they are moved outside to adjust to enclo-
sures with other rehabilitating pelicans, most often older juveniles. It is important to get orphans
outside around other pelicans as soon as possible for their social development.

­ Expected­Development

Weight gain is rapid during the first 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, a steady, but not as rapid, weight gain
will occur. Because pelicans vary greatly in size (particularly by sex, males are larger), weight gain
should not be the only indicator of successful growth. Daily checks should show an increasingly
active chick, well‐hydrated with a well‐rounded body and plump breast.
Chicks hatch with bare purplish skin for about 7 days, before white down begins to appear on the
rump area first. The chick will be completely covered in white wooly down at about 3 weeks.
Contour feathers begin to appear at about 4–5 weeks, beginning in the scapula area and extending
onto the humerus.
Nestlings begin holding their heads up at 2–4 days. By 10–14 days they are moving in the nest and
are able to hold themselves upright. At 3–4 weeks they sit or stand for prolonged periods of time, and
after that, ground‐nesting chicks become very mobile. They will leave the nest and begin to explore,
closely watched over by their parents, although sometimes from a distance. Chicks in tree nests will
move to perches next to the nest. First flight normally occurs between 12 and 14 weeks.

­ Flight­Cages­and Pools

Caging standards for rehabilitating wild birds in the US are regulated by the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service and by state wildlife agencies. In many states, Miller (2000) is cited as the guide-
line for caging sizes, although more recent revisions are available. Although the guidelines call for