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404 Hand-Rearing Birds

Figure­24.7­ Pre-release aviary set up for shorebirds, with sand substrate, small, shallow feeding dishes,
and vegetation for privacy.

­ Preparation­for Wild­Release

Find out the local wild fledging age to get an approximate time frame for release. Release birds a
week or so after the normal fledging age, when they are flying well. When they are starting to learn
how to fly, care should be given to keep human disturbance to a minimum because injuries from
birds hitting the walls can occur. Each bird should be in excellent health, waterproof, and an excel-
lent flyer. Make sure each bird is well‐muscled and can fly well enough to avoid predators and
travel with conspecifics. Fledglings may not weigh as much as an adult, so find out what is normal
for that species.
Birds should exhibit appropriate foraging behaviors and wariness of humans. Release birds in
areas where there are conspecifics. They will do better if they can join a flock or groups of other
fledglings. It is beneficial to work with researchers that may be studying shorebird species in the
wild to gather post‐release data; whenever possible, coordinate with permitted bird banders to
apply federal leg bands prior to release. If a shorebird is nonreleasable, please consider captive
placement in an AZA accredited zoo or aquarium.