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The first thing to do if you find a baby bird that fell from it's nest is to place the bird back in the nest if possible. It is a myth that birds will no longer visit a nest that has the "scent" of a human. A bird's sense of smell is poor and the "human" scent does not register. Also the parents would do anything to keep their youngster safe and fed including trying to protect it or feed it if i is on the ground and unable to fly. So if you can, put it back in it's nest or if it's just about to fly, put it somewhere safe, where the (probably frantic) parents can tend to it. If this is not possible and/or you have a live baby unable to fly - for whatever reason - and the only thing to do is try to keep it alive, you must take on the responsibility of keeping it alive.
It's no small responsibility either - if it has no feathers or feathers are just growing in, it must be fed every 2 hrs. 'round the clock. I'll get to feeding a chick in an emergency in a minute. Warmth is right up there on the priority list along with feeding every 2 hrs 'round the clock. The chick needs to have a constant temperature of 85 deg. F.
You can try to duplicate this by getting a shoebox with a cover, line it with newspaper, punch a lot of holes in the sides and top, then make a little nest by forming cotton balls or scrap fabric into the shape of a nest- not too thick, and place the little one inside this make-shift nest. Place 1/2 of the covered shoebox on top of a heating pad set to low. Then get a desk lamp or some type of bulb and put it 6"-7" above the covered box. If you have an infrared bulb, these are the best as they give out a lot of heat (it's also been proven that infrared light stimulates a bird's immune system). If you have a thermometer, place that in the box also (I have a digital thermometer that shows the temp plus the moisture percentage. It is used for a reptile environment). Then place 4 or 5 water-moistened cotton balls in a jar lid and put that in the box too (moisture needs to be at about 20%).
These are approximates but you will have to do whatever it takes to keep the baby bird warm at 85 deg. F and have about a 20% moisture environment within the box. Use common sense to keep the temps as close as possible to what is listed here. If you have a wild baby bird, place this set up somewhere outside where it is SAFE. OK, now for feeding. If you have to feed the baby RIGHT NOW, and if you have some dried cat food (dry dog food will do but dried cat food is better), grind it up, combine it with warm (ideally the water temp should be 104 deg. F) filtered water if you have- enough water to make a watery paste that will stick to the tapered end of a chop- stick.
Touch the side of the baby's beak with the chopstick and try to get a "gape" - the FEED ME NOW response. It should not be too difficult if the chick is healthy. Ever so gently, grasp the little head between your fingers and gently guide the tapered end of the chopstick with the formula over the tongue, down the throat of the bird from left to right. A hungry, healthy bird will gobble the chopstick and immediately want more. Feed the bird until it's crop (the sack that is below the throat but above the chest) starts to extend.
Be careful not to overfeed the baby as they don't know when they've had enough. The crop should be extended, full but not tight. No need to feed the chick water alone. It will get the water it needs from the cat food formula. Try to maintain sanitary conditions as much as possible. Make a fresh batch of formula for each feeding and wash all utensils with soap and water in between feedings.
Change the nest materials daily. I've raised wild baby birds on this formula (& method) alone and within just a few days, they flew off. If you have an injured bird or a very young bird, if you can't find a wildlife rehab. center and/or you really want to make sure it's getting a good start, get some baby bird feeding formula at your local pet store. I've used Exact but there are others on the market and have fed the babies using a syringe, also available at your local pet store. Exact enclosed more specific feeding directions or it's printed on the outside of the container. The cat food formula is really for emergencies and is something many people have on hand. Now unless you are willing to commit to getting up every two hours 'round the clock and doing all the mixing and cleaning recommended, my next advice would be to call a wildlife rehabilitation center.
Here is a link to find one if you live in the U.S.: [http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/index.htm#mm] - This link also gives advice on First Aid for all kinds of wildlife. Note: Baby birds grow very fast. You'll be amazed at their growth rate (a built-in survival characteristic). Be ready to let him fly when he's ready.
Personal experience. I've used this method to save wild baby birds brought in my my cat or that fell from a high tree. About 30% have lived. Unfortunately, a little bird can become so scared, it is literally scared to death. But this method does work in emergency situations. I've written this method on Yahoo Answers and have had nothing but positive feedback. I highly recommend finding a wildlife rehabilitation center after the bird has been stabilized.
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