FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

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1. Baby Birds

Q. How long do birds incubate their eggs, and how long do the chicks stay in the nest?

Q. I found a baby bird. What should I do?

Q. If I don't pick up a baby bird, will my cat or dog kill it?

Q. Can I raise a baby bird I found?

Q. If I handle a baby bird, will the parents abandon it?

Q. I found some abandoned eggs. Can I take them to a rehab center to raise them?

Q. Why do birds leave the nest before they can fly?

Q. Do young birds recognize their parents after they've grown up?

2. Sick and Injured Birds

Q. What do I do if I find a sick, injured, or dead bird?

Q. How can I tell if a sick bird has West Nile Virus?

Q. I've seen a sick House Finch with red, swollen, or weepy eyes. What's wrong with it?

Q. I have a bald bird at my feeder. Is it sick?

Q. What can cause an adult bird to die inside a birdhouse or nest box?

Q. I've seen a bird with an overgrown or otherwise deformed bill. What is wrong with it?

3. Bird Feeding

Q. Should I take my feeder down when the weather starts to warm up?

Q. My feeders are being overrun with starlings and blackbirds that eat all the food and keep smaller birds away. What can I do?

Q. What's the best recipe for hummingbird nectar?

Q. Should I use red food coloring in hummingbird food?

Q. Why do I see fewer hummingbirds in midsummer?

Q. Should I stop feeding birds in fall so they can start their migration?

Q. A hawk has started hunting the feeder birds in my yard. What can I do?

Q. What should I do if I find algae in my birdbath?

Q. I’m seeing fewer birds in my yard. Is something affecting their populations?

Q. I live in a high-rise apartment in the city. How can I attract birds?

Q. Do birds store food for the winter?

Q. What are owl pellets?

Q. How do I keep ants out of my hummingbird feeder?

Q. How do I keep the squirrels in my yard away from my feeders and bird seed?

4. Bird Identification

Q. What's the best book or field guide for bird identification?

Q. I saw a black-and-white bird at my feeder with a red triangle on the breast. What is it?

Q. Yesterday evening around dusk I watched hundreds and hundreds of birds flying over my house. What were they?

Q. There's a bird in my yard I've never seen before. How can I find out what it is?

Q. The goldfinches at my feeder are starting to look dull and patchy. What's happening to them?

Q. I saw a House Finch that was orange or yellow instead of red. What happened to it?

Q. What can cause birds to show weird color variations, such as being all or partly white, or unusually dark?

Q. Why are some species found out of their normal range more than others?

Q. What should I do to report a rare bird?

Q. What are some ways to enjoy birding on a budget?

Q. How can I adjust my binoculars so I see a good image without blacked-out areas?

Q. I've just upgraded my optics. What should I do with my old binoculars?

Q. I often see birds on telephone wires while I’m driving—how do I figure out what they are from such a short glimpse?

5. Migration

Q. Do hummingbirds migrate in flocks?

Q. How do hurricanes affect migrating birds?

Q. Is it unusual to see American Robins in the middle of winter?

Q. Do backyard birds return to the same spot year after year?

Q. How do birds prepare for long migrations?

Q. Can you really use weather radar to see migrating birds?

Q. Is it possible I've heard a whole flock of swans migrating overhead late at night?

Q. There's a hummingbird at my feeder in the dead of winter. Will he be okay?

Q. Where can I go to watch hawk migration?

Q. I thought geese migrated south in the winter and north in the summer. Why did I just see a flock of Canada Geese flying in the "wrong" direction?

Q. Why do migratory birds crash into buildings at night and how can people prevent it from happening?

Q. I’m getting a little tired of winter—What are some of the first spring birds to arrive, and when will they get here?

Q. How long do wintering Snowy Owls stay with us before they return to their breeding grounds?

6. Birds and People

Q. In your opinion, what bird species is the most beneficial to mankind throughout planet Earth?

Q. I’m getting married next month. Is it true that rice causes birds’ stomachs to explode?

Q. It sounds like there are birds stuck in my chimney. What should I do?

Q. Should I worry that my small, five-pound dog might get attacked by a hawk or owl?

Q. How do I keep herons from eating the fish in my pond?

Q. There's a huge starling roost near my house and they're driving us nuts! What can we do?

Q. Why do woodpeckers like to hammer on houses? How can I get woodpeckers to keep visiting my feeders but leave my house alone?

Q. A woodpecker is putting rows of holes in my tree. Will it hurt the tree?

Q. What can I do about a bird that sings all night long outside my window?

Q. I found a pigeon or dove that seems tame and has colored bands on its legs. What should I do?

Q. How can I share my bird photos with the Lab?

Q. How can I keep birds from hitting my windows?

7. Bird Sounds

Q. Why do some birds mimic the sounds of other species?

Q. Which birds are the best mimics?

Q. Do parent and baby birds recognize each other's songs or calls?

Q. Do bird songs have frequencies higher than humans can hear?

Q. What is the most beautiful bird song in North America?

Q. Why are Blue Jays far more noisy in fall than earlier in the summer?

Q. How does a tiny bird like a Winter Wren manage to sing so many sounds so quickly, and so loudly?

Q. I've been hearing beautiful bird songs every morning since spring, but suddenly I'm not hearing birds at all! What happened to them?

8. Science and Conservation

Q. Do all birds have gizzards?

Q. Why can't penguins fly?

Q. Do vultures find dead animals by smell or by tracking predators or scavengers on the ground?

Q. On a visit to Ithaca, New York, I saw a crow with large, red tags on each shoulder. Is this one of your projects?

Q. I believe that the same blue heron has been perching on my dock for 28 years. What is their life span?

Q. How much do birds eat each day?

Q. How can Bald Eagles survive in northern areas after all the lakes have frozen?

Q. Why don't birds get cold feet?

Q. Do birds have teeth?

Q. Why are loons chasing each other across my lake?

Q. Do hawks flock together?

Q. How are coffee and birds related?

Q. How can coffee help or harm birds?

Q. Is drinking shade-grown coffee good for birds?

Q. What's the difference between shade-grown, organic, fair-trade, and Bird-Friendly coffee?

Q. Why do female Belted Kingfishers have an extra rust-colored “belt” that the males don’t have?

Q. Why don’t birds collide when they are flying close together in tight flocks?

Q. How can an owl catch a mouse underneath a foot of snow in total darkness?

Q. Are Whip-poor-will populations declining? What can we do about it?

Q. What is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act?

9. Bird Breeding and Nests

Q. There's a bird nesting near my house. What should I do?

Q. I found a songbird nest with two different types of eggs in it. What is going on?

Q. How can I protect the baby birds in a nest from predatory birds and other predators like snakes and cats?

Q. I found a nest near my house and want to observe it but I am worried about disturbing it. Can you give me any advice?

Q. I found a nest with eggs in it and no adult birds seem to be attending to it. I think it's abandoned, or I scared the parents away. What should I do?

Q. What's good nesting material to offer birds?

Q. After birds leave a nest, can I clean out the nest for future use?

Q. I have wasps in my birdhouse. What should I do?

10. Bird Behavior

Q. What do small birds do in a storm?

Q. How do birds survive in very cold temperatures?

Q. Will birds use nest boxes to roost in for warmth during the winter?

Q. I saw a little bird feeding a much larger bird. Is it rare to see two different species feeding each other?

Q. Why do some birds stand on one foot?

Q. A bird keeps flying into my window or car mirror, on purpose. What should I do?

Q. Why do hummingbirds fight so much?

Q. Do birds sleep, and how?

Q. Do birds play?

Q. If Brown-headed Cowbirds are reared by other species, how do they know they are cowbirds when they grow up?

Q. Sometimes I see little birds going after a big bird. Why do they do this?

Q. Why do birds have such elaborate and varied courtship rituals?

11. Bird Trivia

Q. How do you pronounce a scientific name? What's the proper pronunciation for this bird species,Tympanuchus phasianellus?

Q. Where can I find a list of all the birds in the world? And how do I find out a bird's "official" name? For instance, is it "Canada Goose" or "Canadian Goose"?

Q. What is the difference between a beak and a bill?

Q. Are cardinals brighter in winter?

Q. Where did the domestic turkey come from?

Q. What can you tell us about the habitat associations of partridges and in particular whether pear trees are ever involved?

Q. Who is the "Lincoln" that the Lincoln's Sparrow is named for?