Page 346 - Hand rearing birds second

336 Hand-Rearing Birds

Prey availability in each given season should be taken into account as well. If local raptors are hav-
ing a tough year, fewer young per nest is warranted. Consult local natural history sources to find
out the normal clutch size of each species.

­ Captive­Fostering

Using captive, nonreleasable adults as foster parents is also an option to be considered before
hand-rearing. Some adults, either male or female, will foster any young of their own species that
makes an appropriate sound; the only way to find out whether an adult will foster is to test it. To
keep the young safe during the initial introduction, it is recommended that they be in sight of the
adult but protected. For example, the nestling can be placed inside the captive adult’s mew in a box
or airline kennel with wire front, so that the adult can see the young and vice versa. Ideally, the box
could have a rear door through which the human caretakers can feed the young without entering
the enclosure. If the adult starts sitting near the nestlings, or tries to shove food through the wire
in response to the begging calls, access can be provided (Figure 20.1).
If the adult takes no interest in the young, it can still fulfill the important role of a visual model.
Once the youngsters are eating cut-up food off a plate, food can be placed in the box or kennel
through a slot, while the young have 24-hour visual contact with the adult. Once at branching or
fledging age, the two can be put together. If introducing them into the adult’s territory gives rise to
aggression, consider moving them both to neutral territory while taking the young through live-
prey training.

Re-nesting­and Fostering­Caveat
When re-nesting or fostering, the introduction of the young to the adults should be done as soon
as possible, and all precautions to avoid imprinting on humans (e.g. use of feeding puppets, ghost
costumes, feeding through a chute or slot) should be taken in the meantime. If, on introduction,
the young bird reacts inappropriately to the adult by showing fear or aggression, it may be killed.
If the youngster has been presented for care and it is not known how long the finder has had the
bird, safely testing the youngster with a captive adult or conspecifics could be critical.

Figure 20.1 Education Red-tailed Hawk acting as a foster parent for two orphans.