Yesterday a coworker found a bird and came searching for me as I am the person in the office that everyone comes to to help with an animal be if feathered or furred.

The bird is yellow with some black, and is banded with a blue band on the left leg: FL PSM 4669.

Since I was out of the office and someone else took the bird to give it a home I am afraid that this is a migratory wild bird and should not be taken in.

There may have been two as another coworker told me that one was black with some yellow and the other is mostly yellow with some black. Apparently they were not concerned with people walking about them on a city street. And it allowed itself to be picked up.

Please advise if possible.

Thank-you
Connie

Our Reply...

The first thing to do is to determine the bird species. If it is not shown in a good Birding Field Guide, your friend may have found an escaped breeders bird or a bird from a pet shop.
What to do with the bird depends on whether it is a wild bird or one raised in captivity.

Please have your friend take the bird to a local pet shop to help in the identification if it does not appear in the birding field guide.

I checked the band number that you provided and it does not conform to coding for the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey. USGS: NORTH AMERICAN BIRD BANDING MANUAL. Wild birds when banded are a part of research projects. If it is a wild bird and appears to be healthy, my suggestion is to ask your friends to release it before it becomes even more "humanized".

Visit the North American Banding Council for more information.

Until you can determine the exact species there may be problems in attempting to feed the bird.
In captivity it may not eat because of illness or improper diet. Not all birds eat bird seed and I am sure they will not be able to provide the correct insect diet for the captive.

If is is a wild bird and does not appear to be in the best of health, I suggest your friends contact the local Audubon Society for help in locating a wild bird rehabilitation center in your area. These people will assist in confirming the type of bird, provide a health evaluation and if necessary provide any rehabilitation services the bird may need. They can also provide some tips on the best way to release the bird to help assure it returns to the wild safely.

Here is a URL for the National Audubon Society's website listing the state chapters. National Audubon Society

Keep up the good work.

Thanks for visiting our the Central Florida Bird Watchers website.

Regards...

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