Sleepy Sparrow beeps likes he's a baby again

[Ephy]

Hey!

I havent had a chance to post an intro yet, but I really wanted to share this.

My House Sparrow named Kiwi turned 5yrs old in July. He most recently went through a really tough molting period, where he lost almost all his feathers at once.

He looks gorgeous again, his feathers are so thick and beautiful now, and I am so relieved.

I think this was a seasonal molt, because all his hormonal aggression and mating dances are gone and he has turned back into a calm, cute little bundle of snuggly fluff.

He has always loved bedtime, and now that the hormonal rollercoaster has ended, his cute behaviours have returned.

He has even started his baby beeping noises again. The same baby beeping sounds he use to make within the first 6 months of his life. He gets most excited at bedtime and beeps happily like crazy.

I finally managed to record it. There is no video as I had to hide the camera

or he would have stopped right away. Please try to ignore my voice, sorry! Lol

You can hear him get so excited, beeping happily at me as I dim the lights and cover up his cage.
At one point, I ask him if he is sleepy and he beeps his sound for yes.

He is so cute!
Near the end of video, he almost calls me a good bird

I'll try to post another video of him talking so you can hear all the words he has picked up at some point

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I love his little noises! I’m glad he’s back to normal now. I didn’t know sparrows could talk, and I’d love to hear another video of him!

 

[MommyBird]

How sweet. I did hear him say "good...bird"!!!!!
I'm glad he's feeling happier after his molt. Does he let you preen his pinfeathers?

 

[iamwhoiam]

Very cute. YAH!! Another talking sparrow. Spee and Kiwi could have a fun conversation together.
Spee's hatch day is also in July. Where did you find him?
Great that your little one is doing better after his heavy molt. He is handsome!

 

[AutumnRain]

That is seriously adorable!!!

 

[Ephy]

Sadly, Kiwi wont let us pet him.
Sometimes, I can very lightly touch his tail, or his toes but that's about it. I can also give him a kiss on his wings, only on his left side..but that can really push his patience sometimes.
We always announce our intention before trying to pet him because we dont want him to fear or lose trust in us.

So I will say, "tickle your toes" before lightly touching his feet, or "kisses,kisses!" Before i try to give him a kiss. He is still very reserved and very proud of his feathers, its almost like an insult to him when we touch them, lol.

We accept the fact that he is not comfortable being touched, as hard as that is sometimes.

Our dove (his name is Baby) on the other hand, is OBSESSED with being held and pet constantly.....CONSTANTLY!

So, they sort of balance each other out.

Our dove is cuddly but not very smart (I mean, he is smart for a dove..but doesnt require as much mental and emotional stimulation as Kiwi does) and Kiwi is smart but not really cuddly. Lol.

My hubby was taking a break while working when he found Kiwi roasting in the hot july sun on a strip mall sidewalk. He was trying to wedge himself into the corner of a garage can, while several people walked right past him.

My hubby couldn't leave him there, he scooped him up, cooled him down with the cars AC and immediately brought him home to me.

I've always taken care of animals since I was little, lots of pets and rescued animals so taking on Kiwi's care was very natural for me but it was still a huge learning curve and I am still learning!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Wow, way to go hubby!!

 

[Gribouille]

My hubby couldn't leave him there, he scooped him up, cooled him down with the cars AC and immediately brought him home to me. I've always taken care of animals since I was little, lots of pets and rescued animals so taking on Kiwi's care was very natural for me but it was still a huge learning curve and I am still learning!

Good job on rescuing him from the heat, how old was he then? And why didn't you release him later? I don't know where you live but you should probably check the law and see if it isn't illegal to keep wild animals in your home. I know it is in most European countries.

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

He sounds adorable!

 

[Ephy]

Thanks for listening and all your comments.

@Gribouille, while "technically" house sparrows are considered to be pests, they are still considered to be against the law.

Any wild animal held in captivity without a legal permit (i did try to apply for one 3yrs ago and was denied) is against the law.

They reason we decided not to release him (5years ago) was because of his complete dependence on us humans.

He imprinted so strongly, stronger than I could have anticipated.
Having never cared for wild birds before I thought we were doing good. We were naive, we tried not to engage with him too much while feeding him, and changing his cage etc. ( I tend to think this is may be why he loves us, and trusts us...but wont ever let us hold him or pet him )

We knew it was up to us to provide for him forever when we realized that he was unable to relate to normal birds, didnt understand normal bird behaviours, or communication.
He would fly to us, hide behind us, and when he was afraid would call out in a panic in the middle of the night and the only thing that would sooth him was our voice telling him, "its okay" to which he would "baby beep" his response and then settle back to sleep.

I feel like I have a "spidey-bird-sense" when it comes to our flock. Even in my deepest of sleep and with them in the other room. Any sound they make , I will jolt upright in bed, awake, listening, and nerves on fire ready to jump out of bed and run to their aide.

And when you have a male dove...that coos at almost anything, there can be many nights with little to no sleep.


After that we accepted that we failed to raise him as a wild self sufficient bird and took on the responsibility to keep him safe and provide for him as best we could.

It is a continual learning process and worth every moment, every annoying scream or defiant bite.

Everytime he looks at you, truly looks you right into the eye with those big brown piercing eyes, he knows if your are listening, he knows if you mean it when you say "no, get of or out from the tv", if you were actually watching when he finally pooped in the one spot you have been encouraging him to go instead of all over the place. And most importantly that his warm snuggles against you are just as important yo you as they are to him.

 

[Ephy]

An older pic, but one of my absolute favourites.
Kiwi, House Sparrow and those look right through you beautiful brown eyes

 

[Gribouille]

I can get that, difficult to part from a bird looking at you like that, and yes, it is difficult to care for them but not bond. I worked onr Summer with wildlife, the staff had routine to try and not let that happen. Some birds bonded with me anyway so we had to wean them before we released them. As long as you don't get into trouble with the law now...