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274 Hand-Rearing Birds

impossible in an urban colony; fledged chicks may find themselves running in traffic rather than
foraging in a wetland. They are also subject to being harassed or “rescued” by passing children or
adults. Such interventions are likely to end a young bird’s life unless a subsequent intervention is
made by a rehabilitator. Placing healthy and alert individuals back in their nests is often impossible
due to the heights at which tree‐nesting colonies are located and potential disturbance of the
whole colony, which could cause more chicks to fall. Nestlings and fledglings that fall from high
branches are prone to skeletal and soft tissue injuries. Chicks also may be targets for human neigh-
bors upset about the noise and smell of the colony, and may present with gunshot wounds. Urban
colony management is an ongoing challenge in many cities. Any chick found running in traffic,
hiding under cars, or obviously injured or in distress on the ground is in need of rescue. Fledglings
moving normally and foraging in an appropriate habitat should be left alone.

­ Record­Keeping

It is important to keep records on individual orphaned and injured herons and egrets, both due to
regulatory agency reporting requirements and so that developmentally similar individuals can be
housed and cared for together. It is also important to track and note each chick’s progress in injury
recovery as well as key developmental stages as birds advance from rescue to release. Rescue events
tend to be clustered around specific locations and seasons, so rehabilitators are more often faced
with hand‐rearing groups of animals rather than individuals. For an example of an animal care
record please see Appendix 1; also see Chapter 1 for information on record keeping.
It is important to keep detailed notes on the progress of feather coverage on young birds’ bodies,
because as the plumage develops, so does the bird’s ability to thermoregulate. This is the most
important criterion by which healthy chicks are graduated from stage to stage within the orphan‐
rearing process. Careful tracking will also allow age‐appropriate clustering of patients, which will
facilitate peer group socialization and insulate individuals from peer‐to‐peer aggression that may
occur when young at different developmental stages are housed together.

­ Initial­Care­and Stabilization

The importance of addressing hypothermia in young herons and egrets cannot be overstated.
Rehabilitators expecting the arrival of young herons and egrets should keep a pre‐warmed incuba-
tor or cage with heat lamp ready, set to maintain an ambient temperature of 100 °F (37.7 °C) and
40–50% humidity. Young birds should be placed within such an environment immediately upon
arrival, even if they are alert (Figure 17.1). Older patients may be placed in a warm (85 °F/29.4 °C)
room on top of a heating pad set to low if they are bright and alert. New patients should be allowed
30–60 minutes to rest and warm up prior to any examination. If birds seem sleepy or unresponsive,
a cloacal temperature should be taken using a digital human quick read thermometer to determine
necessary heat supplementation. Normal body temperature is 103–106 °F (39.5–41.1 °C). Be care-
ful to insert only the tip of the thermometer into the bird’s vent, as trauma to delicate tissue is a
risk. If a bird’s temperature is less than 98 °F (36.7 °C), it should be immediately placed into a
100 °F environment with a towel‐wrapped heat pad beneath and gently folded over them like a
cave. Check temperature approximately every 45 minutes until temp is at least 98 °F (36.7 °C). For
chicks with temperatures of 98–101 °F (36.7–38.3 °C), very warm fluids (105 °F/40.5 °C), such as an