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Why do mother birds abandon their babies?

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No matter how flighty birds appear, they do not readily abandon their young, especially not in response to human touch, says Frank B. Gill, former ... If the X has been pushed aside but the nest is still covered, that's a good indication that the mother has returned, nursed her young, and then re-covered them. read more

Many birds are forced to abandon their young due to environmental stresses. For example, if a baby bird falls out of the nest onto the ground, the parents will likely not feed it-- it will die no matter what and it would be a waste of time and energy to try. read more

"The fact is, birds don't abandon their young in response to touch, [but] they will abandon [their offspring and their nest] in response to disturbance," explains biologist Thomas E. Martin of the University of Montana and the U.S. Geological Survey, who has handled birds from Venezuela to Tasmania without instigating abandonment. read more

However, Mother birds will not reject their babies because they smell human scent on them, nor will they refuse to set on eggs that have been handled by a person. Many birds have a limited sense of smell and cannot detect human scent, or if they can detect it, do not react to it. read more

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