Colorado Teen Kidnaps Baby Birds

A 15-year-old boy in Longmont, Colorado removed 53 baby birds including barn swallows and sparrows from nests around his neighborhood and kept them in his bedroom, according to an Associated Press story. Authorities confiscated the birds after the teen’s mother contacted animal control once she realized her son had the birds. Forty of the birds died, but the remaining 13 have been transported to a Boulder rehabilitation facility and are expected to survive.

Nestling birds must be fed frequently and kept warm so their digestive systems do not stop functioning. While state laws vary, it is generally illegal for anyone to keep wild birds captive without proper wildlife rehabilitation licensing. Well meaning birders can contact rehabilitation facilities about the best procedures for how to handle injured birds or lost nestlings, but birds should never be removed from their nests prematurely.

The teen was ticketed for cruelty to animals and interfering with wild birds.

Barn Swallow Nest
Photo © Rick Kimpel