I find it to be helpful to be a bit over room temperature. They seem to like it warm. Also helps them if they're cold (which is possible, if it's not cold outside).

Baby birds usually need to be kept warmer than the outside climate. This might not be as much of a problem since he looks close to fledging. I usually put them over a heating pad set on low though, just to make sure they don't get cold.

Though it's really hard to tell what age he really is, considering I can't see the bottom half of the face. For a while, a baby dove will be bald on the bottom half of their face. Might still be at nestling stage, though.

as I understood they need different baby bird food than parrots (yes, I read that as emergency parrot food can be used). The store didn't have a specific squab formula so I just bought human baby food and the bird attempted to eat but I suspect he didn't like the taste.
the parrot food I have is in the freezer, and it's been there since... probably February or March. DO you think it's still good?

it's 75F right now, and the forecast for the low night T is 70F. I have him in the box in garage with back garage door wide open.

Here are some of my questions:

There is no way the baby would survive this well if the parents disappeared a few days ago, correct? Does the fact that at the beginning he was in a good shape mean that parents have been taking care of him even today in the morning?

Is this baby certainly a dove? not anybody else? I am assuming dove because I had couple of doves living here but as I said I haven't seen them for a few days. I was surprised when they didn't show up to eat.

The main question: should I wait a little longer to see if parents appear, or should I find a rescue right away?

is it necessary to use gloves when handling him?

Handfeeding formula that's been in the freezer should still be good.

The best plan is to call a rescue right away and ask for their advice. If you're correct that this is a dove, it's a native bird and it's technically illegal for you to be taking care of it. The rescue people will be better equipped to take care of it, with all the right supplies and knowledge.

Do doves feed their babies regurgitated food? If they do, then the babies are used to getting warm food, the same temperature as what baby cockatiels are used to.

One of the links that I provided earlier recommended offering food on a spoon not in a syringe. Doves have a different feeding style than parrots so aspiration is a bigger risk with a syringe.

In general with any bird that's sick or stressed it's a good idea to keep them warm. You would provide heat on one side of the cage/enclosure so they can choose whether they want to stay on the warmer side or the cooler side. If they choose the cooler side then the heat probably isn't actually needed.

You wouldn't need gloves unless there's a problem with him trying to bite you. Be sure to wash your hands well after handling him though, in case he has any germs that could get passed on to the cockatiels. Try to keep him far away from any area where they like to hang out.

thanks. I am not bringing him inside the house at all. He is in garage where I attempted to feed him. Rabbits are spending night in garage, too, so he's got a little company
I tried plastic spoon and sandwich bag with cut corner. I think this was good and he would eat if he wanted. I am guessing he didn't like the taste of baby turkey.

Definitely looks like a dove, judging by the beak. The spots on it's wings actually makes it look a lot like the mourning doves I see in my yard. Not sure if those are native in your area, though.



Indeed, doves do regurgitate their food, but in a strange fashion. The baby eats the food from the parent's mouth, as they're regurgitating it. It's very strange, and looks a bit backwards, compared to standard baby-feeding in birds, but it's definitely regurgitated.

Doves are also not hard biters, so don't worry much about gloves.

They could have been taking care of him at first, but if he were to get sick overnight, then they could have abandoned him today. If bird parents don't believe their babies will survive, they abandon them. However, I have heard cases of people finding abandoned baby birds, and managed to raise them to adulthood, despite whatever problem they could've had.

Contacting a rescue or wildlife rehabilitator might be the smarter decision. If the bird was in bad shape, the parents would've most likely given up on him by now. They're not going to do anything more for that baby bird.

Sadly, he died. Sounds stupid, but I feel as I contributed. Maybe my feeding killed him, who knows. He seemed pretty much OK when I tried to feed him. Alert and everything.
When he was on the ground, he didn't seem to be in a bad shape during first hours. Then he got probably weaker from lying in the grass in a high wind.

I just wonder why birds come to eat on some days, and I see absolutely nobody on other days. Maybe a predator had an attack around here that scared all the birds?

I also wonder about the second baby of that clutch. I read they have two.
I thought it was a turtle dove, but the bird on the top pic you posted looks a lot like his parents. Definitely mourning dove.

its dove hunting season in Kansas. Some people are sick...