When a hummingbird nest fell out of a tree, the good people at Raptor Education Group in Wisconsin weren’t about to let the little guys go uncared for. They took them in and were the second best thing, right next to their real mother.
Here they are in their teeny, tiny nest.
(I’m not kidding with the teeny, tiny thing, either.)
Watch them get fed a special, protein-rich formula…it’s almost too cute to handle.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Chicks /Raptor Education Group, Inc.We are delighted to share a video featuring two of our tiniest patients. A nest, complete with tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird chicks arrived yesterday after it came down in a storm. We were not able to replace it, but will continue to try when weather clears. Few people have the honor of witnessing baby hummingbirds as they are fed. Their parent are not doing the feeding, we think they are still pretty amazing. Hummingbirds eat aphids and other tiny insects as well as nectar. Protein is vital to hummingbirds all of their life, but especially so as babies when they are growing quickly. There is a small syringe at the other end of the feeding tube that is not visible on the video. Their formula is a complicated mixture of crushed and powdered insects and a homemade nectar base along with digestive enzymes, which they get from their parents naturally during feeding.
Posted by Raptor Education Group, Inc. on Wednesday, July 24, 2013
And before their caretakers knew it…
Both of these birdies were strong and ready to go back into the wild!
(via The Dodo)
It’s great that we, as giant, clumsy humans, are able to help such delicate, little creatures in their time of need. What might be even more amazing, though, is that these birds can bounce back and use their instincts to thrive in their natural habitat, even when their mom isn’t there to teach them.
Nature is amazing(ly adorable)!
