Rocky the Bird

This is Rocky Duke. He's a bird that the kids brought home as a part of the animal shelter we've apparently created. It fell from a nest somewhere and will probably die, but my kids don't believe in lost causes. It doesn't look injured, just not quite old enough or strong enough to fly. It can fly small distances upward, but not enough to be out of harm's way. The kids love it, and they're smart enough not to touch it without wearing rubber gloves.

Update: After reading online, it seems that some mother birds will raise the birds from the ground. We put him back in a nearby tree this morning (after Emily had a chance to say goodbye). If he dies, hopefully a cat gets him before Emily finds the body.

Update on the Update: Cathie talked to Dana and apparently we're keeping the bird for a while. It's old enough to hang with us and be fed and in a week or two will be old enough to fly on it's own. I'm going to make it mandatory that the kids feed the bird worms from their mouths, just it's mother would. This is much cheaper than buying a bird for the kids, which I've never really gotten as a pet. If it dies, it will make birds and even worse option for them.