I've got a little bird living on my deck that evidently can't fly yet and I see no signs of a parent nearby. He's been there at least a week and seems otherwise healthy and well-fed (there's a bird feeder on the deck, and seed is always getting pushed to the ground). When I go near, he hops away pretty fast but I've never seen him fly, even when startled. I'm a little worried that one of the neighborhood stray cats is going to find him!

Any idea how long it takes to fly? Does somebody have to teach him, or will he do it naturally once he's strong enough?

By Jeanette on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 11:20 pm:

Angie, I don't know how soon they fly, but by the looks of his little short wings, it won't be in the next few days. I would put him someplace safe, immediately, instead of taking a chance on a cat eating him. Last week, we bought 3 small ducks at a feedstore, put them in the pen with our 3 little rabbits; our farm, lol. The very next morning they were gone - eaten, except their little feet were left outside the pen. I see stray cats occasionally, but I thought these ducks were large enough so a cat wouldn't kill them - they were about 4 inches tall. Plus, we have a Chow in the back yard, so the cat was very sneaky & quiet to be able to kill the ducks while our dog slept. As for your bird, you could put him in a birdcage or a laundry basket & bring him in at night for a week or so, or give him to a petshop. I couldn't sleep if I had a tiny bird that couldn't fly, outside, unprotected. It sounds like you're feeding him well, & I would think birds learn to fly very young, as soon as their wings are long enough. Good Luck with him; I love tending to little critters.

By angie on Monday, August 20, 2001 - 11:07 pm:

Jeanette, thanks for your thoughts on this. Only a day or two after I posted it he was flying short distances here and there, and then he left (I'd like to think he left on his own two wings!).