Raising A Baby Grackle: part III - by Mike Franzman

[@marybyars9642]

Awww he makes cute little noises 😊 Your a wonderful man Mike.

[@tammye.25]

Mike: As a bird mother and rescuer myself, I wanted to comment on your wonderful documentary about your experience with raising a baby bird. It is a profoundly moving experience where you come to realize how intelligent birds are, their ability to think, and the ability of bird''s to bond and communicate with another species and the reverse as well. It makes you appreciate how difficult a real bird mother's job is. Can you imagine going through that with two or three babies!! Yours is a job well done and the documentary was awesome. Most people out there do not have the appreciation of birds no matter what species they are. They are all necessary to the balance in nature. Thank you so much!!!!

[@mariaangelicaherradameza7353]

Muy lindas las flores la variedad de cactus me encantan soy muy feliz cuando veo los video,

[@ajreyes5641]

María Angelica Herrada Meza -Si a mi tambien!

[@alan30189]

And this invasive species of bird, lived happily ever after, killing off hundreds of native species of birds and their babies. Nice! 🙄 People have no clue!

[@virashivashi]

It’s a grackle. Not invasive… People have no clue!

[@Chompchompyerded]

So very true. Having worked out a way to easily communicate with wild species of ducks and also canada geese raised in captivity, I believe I know this better than anyone. I spent my life, 24/7 with a duck whom I communicated constantly every day with, for the entirety of her life. I did the same canada goose. These birds are a lot smarter than even you probably suspect. I have found that the major difference between us and them is not what's in our brains, but only that we have an opposable thumb and they don't. Beyond that, the are cognitively able to do most of that which we do with the same teaching that we use on our kids. The thing being that you have to have a common language which is easy for both of you to use. That needs to start while they're still in the egg. It's a constant commitment, and to be successful, you will need to be around the bird 24/7 That means going to bed when it gets dark, and waking up at first light. It's a challenge, but if your up to it, you'll find there's almost no limit other than what they can cram in to a shorter lifespan, from what we can do. College physics is not beyond a well educated bird. A well known ornithologist was working on a paper on the duck I raised, and was close to publishing when he died. I wish I could have got a hold of his work and could have got a graduate student or another ornithologist to finish the work, because it would have been ground breaking in a big way. We have sentient species which we could be sharing the universe with, and who have information which are beyond our sensed to see (being able to see magnetism, as well as seeing well into the infrared and ultra violet ends of the spectrum) which they could share with us, and teach us about. We don't need to be searching the universe for other sentient life forms. We have it right here, and we don't recognize it. If we can't recognize it on our own planet, what in all the universe and beyond makes us think we'll recognize it on another planet even if it's shouting in our face? I'm a bit loath to teach people how to speak to central flyway mallards and canada geese because there is so much potential for misuse and abuse. I fear it getting into the hands of hunters who would use it to kill the birds. They have plenty of tools to do that with already. On the other hand, If a lot of people came to the realization that these are smart, sentient, self-aware beings, one would hope that most people would no more kill them than they would another human. On the other hand, or species seems more capable than most of killing each other and particularly over differences of morphology. If they can do that, then there's nothing keeping them from killing any being which doesn't look like t hem. And since they can legally do it with certain species of birds, they will do it even with the understanding that they are doing something to someone which not much different from a racial shooting of another human. Yes. They are very intelligent. Even more than you suppose. I'd like to close with a thought which my duck said a number of years ago, and which I translated and wrote down. She was fascinated by astrophysics and cosmology, and that's what gave rise to this thought, which in and of itself tells a lot about the intelligence of these beings. It is in her words, her understanding of the timeless nature of the universe. Things like this were what clenched for me that I was conversing with a being was my intellectual equal or better: The Universe is timeless. We exist in time. We are therefore out of step with our residence the universe. --Quigly Quack Porterfield I miss our conversations, our night time cuddles, and our unconditional love for each other. I am broken hearted that she is no longer here, but I hope that at least I made her life better than that of any other duck which has ever lived, and probably than any which ever will live. I feel much the same about Matilda the canada goose, who was just as brilliant, but whose interest flowed along different and equally fascinating lines. I would know less, and be much poorer of spirit and knowledge than I am now, were it not for their presence in my life. PS; I believe that the reason Irene Pepperberg didn't get any further with Alex than she did had everything to do with forcing Alex to communicate in a language which was hard for him to both understand and to use. Human languages not only take effort for psittacines to utter, but also to understand due to the layered nature of the way they think. Learning that layered way of thinking is perhaps the hardest thing about learning a bird language. I'd almost call it "quantum" thought. Some of the sounds they are making in reference to one sentence are already referring to the next sentence while at the same time referring to the current sentence. That brings up one other problem with rearing a baby bird in captivity which I have not yet been able to solve. One is turning lose a bird which is not equipped to talk to others of its species. We see the results all over the place with canada geese which have taken up residence in our city parks. Since they didn't learn the language of their particular fly way, they have no way to communicate about migration, and because of that, they can't fit into the flocks of wild geese. Since they have no way of communicating and learning, when the weather turns and it becomes harder to find food and shelter, they come into town, and when they find areas protected from the elements and people who will feed them, they stay. It's a disservice that the state game commissions have foisted upon them, both in order to make more birds to hunt, as well as more birds in general. The problem is, these birds don't go out to where the hunters are, and because of that we are seeing a continued decline in the number of migratory canada geese. The reason the game commissions put these birds out in the first place was because over hunting was reducing the numbers of migrating birds. They did not (and still don't) understand how important language is to migratory birds, and they just assume the drop in numbers is all due to climate change and habitat loss. While those do affect populations in a negative way, it's the fact that birds hatched in captivity don't know what to do, and don't have any way of learning that. Even leading birds south in ultralight aircraft has not been particularly successful in establishing birds on a flyway which they will use more than once. The same will be true of all flock and migratory birds, including starlings and sparrows. When you release these birds back into the world, they are faced with a solitary life, since they will not usually be accepted into a flock. That opens them up even further for predation, which is already a problem as discussed above. Further, one of the reasons birds come together in large flocks in the fall is to share body heat. They won't get up really tight with each other, but they'll be close enough so that it makes things warmer by just enough.

[@michele6740]

The world needs more men like this Man. 🐦

[@tonyacorra5406]

Love your documentary of raising the baby bird! Your a kind soul! At what point do you realize he's not a startling but a grackle? I raised one a few years ago. What an adventure! Still miss him! So intelligent! He flew away and I never seen him again. I hope and pray he made it. Now I'm raising a starling. He's very needy and I'm questioning weather or not he'll bond with other birds. He's gone for several hours to a day them shows up hungry and tired. He doesn't mind taking a break from the real world in his cage. My grackle would not go back in the cage after he seen the big world. He would come to me wham I called, or hungry, but then gonna again. After a few days he never came back.

[@jbughart2877]

Mike, you are amazing with animals. Such a gentle, kind soul. You make my heart happy. Thank you for your videos. Our world needs more people like you. I'm a fan.

[@Jag10789]

He himself is so deeply attached to the bird that he does not want it to fly away forever. He loves feeding the bird with variety of foods just like human babies. Whole batch of applause for you Sir !

[@mikeyfranz]

Thank you so much. I find I do have more patience for animals, then for humans... SMH

[@pritimondal3872]

I love birds but i really dont know how to take care of them so this really helps love your channel.this also made my day better.

[@galinadagaeva5582]

Essen ud Wasser! Кто любит животных, тот чувствует ответственность за их жизнь.Danke! У меня жил голубь и голубка.У голубки было повреждено крылышко.Но она вывела двух птенцов.Кормили оба родителя.Голубь потом учил своих детей летать.Кушать приводил их к голубке.И второй раз голубка вывела птенцов. Их отношения были безукоризненными.Пример любви , нежности и верности.

[@s.e.fernandez4002]

He has grown into a very gorgeous bird. You are such a kind man.

[@lynnesmit2054]

I enjoyed this little bird so much as he still has to grow into his beak..❤ our Cape starling from South Africa is such a joy ❤❤❤

[@louisemichel9999]

Bonjour u n très sympathique oiseau, longue vie à ce gentil Animaux. Amitiés 🐕 💓 🐕 💓 😊

[@yvessalles1300]

Merveilleux ce que la patience et l’amour peut engendrer ….félicitation…je retrouve les émotions de mon enfance ou j’avais passé du temps pour élever une pie….un vrais bonheur de l’aimer tout en lui laissant la liberté…

[@srvntlilly]

That little guy is just too darn attached to you☺️❤️

[@elsjemassyn8921]

Mike thank you for showing us step by step what to do when we encounter an abandoned baby Starling

[@rhonacunningham4942]

Mike someone mentioned you as being like the bird whisper. It is exactly what you are! Thank you..... thank you for your kindness and passion with doing this wonderful and kind gesture towards our nature. You even talk so kindly to them. From South Africa 🙏🏻

[@kathleenchristenson8467]

Water in, water out. Keeping him/her healthy. I had a family of finches that were so caring of me a whole summer, I love it.

[@mjdb71]

Beautiful to watch. Greetings from the Netherlands

[@suziecrim7950]

Can't thank you enough for this film..Happy tears..Your bird is amazing..Please keep us posted..

[@rhonacunningham4942]

Mike your little guy also known as Buddy is so attached to you. You are a wonderful, kind, caring man! Its no wonder he doesn’t want to leave ‘ home ‘. Please Mike don’t stop with the videos. You are an inspiration to many. Stay safe to you and your family. From South Africa. 🙏🏻

[@velonico]

A few Tears popped out of my eyes @ 3:27 when Poppa declares it's time to go! Reminded me of my parents rescuing Squirrel, Salamanders, and injured birds. Heartwarming.

[@karenolson5556]

You are definitely the Bird whisperer! It's fun to watch you connect with them!

[@iluminameluna]

Your story reminds me of my late hubs. We got our kitties when we rented our first house in El Salvador but they weren't allowed out of the perimeter of the property. Not even on the roof. So when we were able to buy a house out in the weeds (it was so cheap!), he was so scared to let them leave the house! He thought they'd just escape and never come back. I told him it would never happen. They were used to having us feed and shelter them. I was right. The first time we opened the doors they just sat at them and watched. The oldest ventured about 2 feet out but at the first loud screech from a hawk, you didn't even see his paws move he went inside so fast! To this day, they don't roam very far. Most days you can find them in our patio, even the younger ones who we got when we already lived there after he died. They learned from their elders to stay close to the house. Yours is a beautiful story of what it means to be a real family even when it crosses species barriers. Thank you for sharing it.

[@KayCeeKaye]

A big thanks for these videos. They helped me save a city starlings life. No rescue would take it in since they’re an invasive species. He flew away today. Bittersweet.

[@gwenclemens3342]

This is a Grackle!

[@jessfaithlexi]

Good to hear cuz I have the same issue with so having to figure out how to do this myself yet with cats & dogs & kids lol

[@KayCeeKaye]

@@jessfaithlexi I was in the same boat, two kids, two cats and a puppy. The starling grew at astonishing speed, and flew away after two weeks. I kept it in a separate room during the day and let it learn to fly. At night I would put it in the cat carrier on some rags and put him in the closet. I was afraid the cats would get to it. In hindsight I should’ve kept him another week. He flew away so quickly. I hope he’s out there somewhere living his best life.

[@ambermrozinskas4680]

Look how safe he felt in his little box from the porch😫 so sweet 🥰

[@gwenclemens3342]

This is illegal without a license in the US! This is not a Starling it's a grackle!

[@poppykok5]

Seeing the cautiously curious, & little 'peanut-loving' squirrel, was "icing on the cake"... *: )* I've always appreciated how playful & nosy they are... Years ago, we had a young & most "rambunctious," sweet, little rescue dog...Her favorite CALM thing to do was sit at the back (all glass) door, spending long amounts of time, without making a single sound or moving a muscle, eagerly watching the abundance of chipmunks just a foot or two beyond the door, (stuffing their cute little cheeks) as we always fed them daily from scattered little bowls lined up on our garden patio...We loved watching them stocking up for the cold winters ahead...It was hard to imagine just *HOW MUCH* food they could pack into those adorable cheeks, while they scurried back & forth to their little underground tunnel openings, to store the saved food in their "larders"...Such happy, HAPPY memories... Bless your generous heart, Mr. Franzman, for obviously caring so much about wildlife... *: )*

[@riccosuave2761]

Great way to spend time w my morning coffee you are a sweet caring birdie parent.So darn sweet.Love your content.See you later.

[@oh_k8]

You are amazing Mike. Keeping recording what you do for these birds. There is a value in this for so many and I hope it pays off for you too.

[@lorrainewelch5176]

That is so great . Thank you for sharing everything about the bird

[@lorrainewelch5176]

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a starling

[@gwenclemens3342]

This is a grackle!

[@patriciacourt5946]

Hello Mike, your Starling is so cute and adorable.... I think you should be called the Bird Whisperer as you seem to have a way with them and they seem to like you. Thanks for all you do for these beautiful young birds....🕊

[@CoachPiuze]

@John Kravitz just watch ALL the videos little know all ;-)

[@Just_shush_now]

It’s a common grackle, don’t know why he’s calling to a Starling. Starlings, well the common starling that was brought to America from Europe is a smaller bird that had a iridescent black/green cream spotted bird that is brown when it’s a juvenile. This bird seems to be a young common grackle.

[@jj_the_ninja245]

The bird is beautiful💖

[@trishcooley5810]

U r so great with animals! U r so calm.

[@gabc6353]

He’s getting too fat! Bless your heart mike! Thank for caring for him. He’ll never leave you because he’s going to be constantly starving.

[@gabc6353]

This poor bird is flying so low. I know you don’t want to chase this bird like the robin because your afraid he can’t survive. I have plenty of faith he knows where to get his buffet.

[@Chompchompyerded]

In future, it would help the bird if you started feeding a few live bugs. No one has time to chase down all the bugs a young bird needs, but butter worms (which you can get either mail order or from pet stores if there is one well enough stocked near you) are a really good choice. In the wild during the summer, insects make up a lot of a starling's diet, and the extra protein is particularly good for them. It will also help promote strong feather growth. As he gets older, feeding mealworms and super worms will also be a good thing. The chitin (hard outer shell) will also promote strong feather growth. Insect protein is also great for developing strong muscles. At some point they should be weened off of cooked food and yous should start feeding raw seeds. In the wild, starlings don't get any cooked food, and if the diet has a good balance of insect food in it They won't need much extra water. It is possible to get a baby bird too wet, and that can lead to all sorts of long term problems, including removal of beneficial gut bacteria (the bacteria which are good for birds are different for birds than for humans, and some of the preservatives we use in things like baby food can cause them to loose that beneficial bacteria. Feeding probiotics or yogurt won't help with that, because again, the bacteria that are beneficial for birds are not the same as the ones which are beneficial for humans, and in fact some human gut bacteria are toxic to birds. One way to tell if the bird is getting a healthy diet and has healthy levels of gut bacteria is to look at the poo. There should be a dark part, and part of that will have a white coating on it. Birds don't urinate, and the white stuff is the waste secreted by the kidneys. No white means the kidneys are not working properly, and that the bird may be in kidney failure. Kidney failure can lead to a long, slow death. It may not be obvious that the bird is sick, but it will decline slowly over weeks or months, and eventually succumb to kidney disease. That is one of the most important things to be watching for in baby birds. You can buy dried mealworms, but I recommend that you don't do that with baby birds because they should be getting much of their moisture from insects. That's true of all birds. Humming birds feed their babies the occasional gnat or mosquitos, and if you watch long enough, you'll even see mother sparrows bringing moths and certain caterpillars to the nest to feed to the babies. With the youngest babies, it's a good idea to kill the butter worms or mealworms before you feed them to the babies. Mother birds usually knock the bugs around a bit until they stop moving before they feed the bug to the babies. Raptors (hawks, eagles, owls, and a few others) are an exception to the bug feeding rule. They get enough water from the meat that mom and dad bring home. Baby herons and baby pelicans are two more species which are exceptions to the rule. Since they are fishing species, they get plenty of water from the fish they eat. Kind of a rule of thumb is, if the bird's primary food source is animal protein (fish, meat, etc) then you don't give bugs. If it's anything else, you should be feeding bugs. One other mistake I see people making often (not saying that's going on here, because there isn't really any way to tell other than self-reporting) is not feeding the baby bird often enough. They eat a lot more frequently than you might suppose, and if you can't keep up the schedule, then the bird will be better off at an official wildlife rescue. Depending on the species, baby birds will need fed between every 10 to 20 minutes during daylight hours, including pre-dawn and post sunset times while it is still light out. If you can't keep this pace up, then try to find an official wildlife rescue where they dedicate all their time to the bird, both day and night. When trying to locate a wildlife rescue, be sure to find out beforehand what their policy is on starlings and sparrows is. Many will euthanise baby starlings and baby house sparrows since they are invasive species not native to the continent. In my book, no living being can help the circumstances of their birth, and except in extreme cases (such as reptile infestations in Florida where native species are becoming endangered because of the invasive species) every creature should be granted respect. life, and where and when possible and appropriate, freedom. You are taking on a huge responsibility when you are taking on the care of a bird, and it is much more so when that bird is a parentless baby. Be sure to learn everything you can about the species, and treat it accordingly. Also, don't feel sorry for the bird if you have to feed it lots of bugs or well soaked grains. Birds don't taste things in the same way we do, and they'll be just fine with the foods they get in the wild, and making sure they can eat those foods will serve them well when they are released. Now for an unsolicited plug for a company which I have never worked for, but which has excellent animal feeds. Ma Zu Ri is a company which supplies many of the nation's best zoos, and which makes feeds which have been scientifically made to give animals the best nutrition possible in captivity. For baby birds, I recommend Ma Zu Ri Nestling hand feeding formula. It is great for most North American nestlings with the exception of raptors and hummingbirds and precocious young birds (birds like ducks, geese, pheasants and other balls of fluff which are pretty much ready to run within hours of hatching). If the bird is primarily insectivorous, their food should always be supplemented with live food, such as the above mentioned butter worms, mealworms, and super worms. for very young insectivorous birds, it's a good idea to pull of the legs and heads of the mealworms/super worms, and depending on the size of the baby, you might need to break the worms into pieces of a size which is easier for them to swallow. These are some very basic practices which anyone who want to take upon themselves the challenge of raising a rescue bird should follow in order that you can release a very healthy bird which has the highest chance of success in the wild. I would also like to point out some of the practices shown on this video, including the ones which he uses to prepare the bird for release. The more things you can teach the bird about finding food and water, the better. One thing which is very tough to teach, and which will be crucial for long term success is the issue of identifying predators, and knowing leave and hide when one is in the area. There are many hazards for birds in the wild, including (but not limited to) dogs, cats, snakes, and birds of prey. I'm afraid that for predator awareness I don't have any really good solution, and I don't know anyone who does. Predation is the number one cause of death among birds raised by humans and released into the wild. If anyone has any ideas or methods for dealing with this, I'd sure like to know. Also keep in mind that humans can be predators too. People have been known to kill birds even when not hunting for food. There's always the unethical sky buster around who will shoot anything that moves. How do you get a bird to avoid humans when it was a human which raised it, fed it, and helped it in its time of greatest need? I don't know. I just don't know. I hope that all but that last part will be of use to anyone who might want to take on this challenge, and also anyone who is trying to decide whether or not to take it on. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

[@ajreyes5641]

You are doing Gods work & may God Bless You for that!!

[@sgt_loeram1933]

Mike that bird loved you to death man. You can see his affection for you and the way he chooses to sit on your shoulder. Job well done!

[@skytechbits]

Baby birds will "imprint" to the source of food which usually is the mother bird which is why they follow the mother around for food. Again you have a super kind heart Mike but in a bird's world, they need to learn to preen and hunt for bugs, worms, etc. Maybe in the future put bird-related things like twigs with leaves worms, and ants around them for a little bit each day. Mix ants with their food for instance so their system gets used to them. Thanks again Mike for helping this bird.

[@trouty7947]

Is preening something they have to learn from birds or could mike help teach or encourage its instincts for?

[@poppykok5]

Laura...I'm sure you mean well, but why would you think you know more about raising rescued, wild birds than than a successfully confirmed bird rescuer who clearly knows what he's doing??? w h y do you think you need to tell this man "anything" about the care & needs of any bird??? I 've been incredibly awed at just how much Mr. Franzman knows about slowly preparing these rescued birds to be successfully released back into their natural habitat ...

[@dannielebeaumont4075]

I have two newly abandoned babies and I really enjoy your videos, they are doing well! So thank you. Your bird is the cutest Lil guy ❤️

[@chrysalis72]

Love them, they are so soft feathered. I rescued one upside down in a feeder.cant believe people don't want to feed them and only want certain birds..

[@sallycress1966]

This is amazing ❤️.. I Love your videos, you certainly have a way with birds, they can tell their safe with you. Thanks for sharing your videos ❤️

[@jyotsnabordoloi899]

Very nice video .god bless the chick bird 🐦💕

[@davidgleba3832]

Wonderful! You certainly have a way with birds!

[@elsjemassyn8921]

I watched parts 1-3 Very informative Thank you

[@tammymcguire4991]

Adorable & starling loves you🌹your a good dad & loves watching you🌷

[@joycehaines2055]

Fun to watch, thanks for sharing.

[@MohammadAli-mf9hy]

Mr, Mike you are doing very awesome job and I really appreciate you , because you have very warmly heart about birds and nature, your house is also good my all pray with you. Love you From, PAKISTAN

[@OEWNRKandFriends]

LOLOL .... he's sitting on the dish drainer, looking so puzzled ... lololol ! Way too cute!

[@jensacocoonedbutterfly]

He loves you so much so touching I’m crying

[@ВалариПетровский]

Everyone should be good like you are

[@terrywilliams7825]

Thanks for sharing your experience

[@pattyvoakes1053]

Thanks to GOD your Baby Birdie is OK !!! 💖💕👼🙏🥰💖

[@nukoolchompuparn8570]

He smiled at 1.20, so adorable.

[@galinadagaeva5582]

Спасибо вам.Это большая, кропотливая работа.Особенно с голышами--слётками.Не знаю, есть ли в продаже для них специальный корм.И кормить нужно очень--очень часто.А потом приучать жить в природе.

[@katayounahoo4016]

He is getting more adorable 😍😍😍😍😍

[@craigbut-itsa-dry-heatcoop7022]

You have done such a good job raising that little guy, Its just a joy to watch.

[@greggtagatac9897]

God bless you mike

[@nys879]

I just love what you are able to do with these birds. ❤🐦

[@jenniferseeboo9474]

Thank you we learned a lot from your video we are taking care of a little starling so it really helps Thanks Rachel Aaron And mom

[@linda6725]

Bless you!

[@tilimaabo9888]

Vous devriez lui apprendre à se nourrir tout seul maintenant ! Merci pour votre patience !

[@Theprivacybusiness]

Wonderful story

[@jensacocoonedbutterfly]

Loving this your heart and the bird

[@pattyvoakes1053]

You Two Guys ... are going to Missed each other’s SO Much !!... when He lives !!! He will missed your home ! His Little House !! His food !! But Specially YOU !!! His Dad !! ... and You .. your little Baby Bird !!! I believed!!... I will Cry tons when that happened!!! Can you keep Him forever ? Since He got used to You ? He is Very Happy and We’ll fed with You !! And He’s got Tons of Love with You !!! He is Do Beautiful and Sweet !! I Love Him Already !! 💖💕👼🙏🥰💖💕❤️

[@CoachPiuze]

so relaxing to watch your videos:)

[@solitasola46]

he is a baby and he wants to be given food in the piquito so he opens his mouth to give him food what a cute little bird

[@janestake3405]

Starlins are intelligent and bond quickly.

[@ablue5419]

Hello mike your bird is Sooo cute 💛🐥🌈

[@greg6107]

The bird sure love Mike !

[@lolwutathon]

I feed the birds in my garden and the starlings have gone mad for the calci/mealworms at the moment. I'm expecting several youngsters like this little guy in the next few weeks like last year. Beautiful birds.

[@jeanettelettegard6598]

So cute!❤

[@janestake3405]

I rescue starlings as well. They have a lot of nest out and about my house so i go outside last year and rescued but he was here at my window all ay everyday and would not go be a bird one ay he didnt come back and i just know something killed him. So yesterday i found one on the ground. He has ate but not very good. I am working on him hoping he makes it

[@m.alanjenkins4792]

The birds at the beginning of this part that were under the bird feeder outside are not starlings, they are Brewer's Blackbirds. Notice the yellow eye of the adult and the adult's long tail compared to adult starlings. Adult starlings have yellow bills and the white "stars" on their plumage that gives them their name of starlings.

[@RebeccaBTusquare]

I agree, and although absolutely adorable, this baby bird is a grackle, not a starling.

[@ilovemeevennow9125]

My baby bird has yellow beak a lot and somehow it resemble this bird

[@celestialmary]

Yes, I've reared a baby starling and I'm 95% sure this is a blackbird. Starlings have very long slender beaks and very short tails, while blackbirds have short beaks and long tails. Also this lovely bird doesn't have the yellow beak my little bird had at this age, and was making quite different sounds. When my starling lost its infant fuzz it had grey feathers with a cream-coloured throat not the glossy browny-black that this one has.

[@celestialmary]

And yes, I agree that the adults at the beginning are blackbirds: short beak, long tail and no white tips on the breast. Google images of baby blackbirds and starlings in this age range and you'll see the differences.

[@earthtoemily4855]

I was thinking the same thing. I have a starling I raised from 6 days old. This babies beak and mouth are different, close though. Looks more like a blackbird or grackle. Still a cute video none the less.

[@davidp1031]

7:34 He really flew away for a min just to poop on your car then come back inside 😂

[@amberm2777]

Good eye 😂

[@paulabennett5105]

He's not going anywhere without you...

[@linda6725]

I wouldn't want to leave!!

[@victormanuelnavarretetorre9529]

I do not have, own, posses a cell phone. I am a handicapped person with no job, no girlfriend, obviously no wife. And I love your videos Mike Franzman.

[@asgardlove1]

Great job you do,i love all your videos.But which kind of starling is this?In germany we have the eurpean starling,but this starling is different,he looks like a Common myna.I had a hand feeding raven and Jackdaw.

[@alidamartinez7583]

Mike mereces un 💋💋💋💝💖💕

[@laree82]

@12:44 - "This is unprecedented." 😆

[@MattyDemello]

How come my starling I found and am raising is extremely scared of everything. It's about the age as this video's starling and I had him for almost 2 weeks and it's still scared of me. It would never come to me. I brought it outside to start getting it use to outside and it took off. It took me 2 hours to finally get it back in the basket. I think I'm in for a hard time teaching it to survive the release. It also keeps trying to bite me.

[@enes9111]

I found same and its so scared me and first days its faintit because of fear. And now it is scared when i force fending. İts only dink and not eat seeds. İt is not flying good. So hard to feed force. What should i do?

[@lois.mepstein5830]

He is not ready to go. His mom would teach him what to eat and how to get it. and who his enemies are and how to stay safe.. you need to offer him mealworms too. He eats insects.

[@pritimondal3872]

that starling was abandoned its mom was not there to take care of him

[@ashtimbog]

1:41 just a question if i end up in this situation why didn’t you take him to the vet?

[@alexnlilly]

Hi Mike! I've been enjoying your bird videos a lot. I'm an avid bird/nature enthusiast myself. While I was watching part 1 and 2 of the other Starling videos, I kept wondering why his beak hasn't started to turn yellow. When I clicked on this video and saw his bird family in your yard, I realized why... Those are Common Grackles! They look similar, but a grown male grackle has kinda blue iridescent feathers on the head. Grackles also black beaks, starlings have yellow beaks. You're awesome for helping the wildlife though. Keep up the good work and thank you for posting!

[@alexnlilly]

I forgot to add.. they also have a voracious appetite! 😁

[@mikeyfranz]

I have both grackles and starlings at my feeders (among other birds), but it is so hard to tell them apart. I found a development chart on line, and my nestling looked most like the juvenile starling as he started to fledge... a grey-ish beak. In any case, he sure turned into a nice bird!

[@flashlitestriker4028]

So cool!

[@cathyrowellmc8926]

I love these videos♥♥♥♥♥

[@netterz3411]

You have a way with animals even the squirrel came up to you!

[@fernandosoares8619]

adorable bird

[@pinabarryscott]

Mike, you make it to easy for him to stay. I think you don't want him to go. I don't blame you.

[@benperry490]

love the video I was wondering why you didn't feed him insects, worms and such so he could find those in the enviroment

[@avatarwan2271]

I think that he’s a grackle; baby starlings/young starlings are brown with short tails. Grackles are black with long tails

[@flaminbird1]

I was going to say the same thing . I’m pretty certain he’s a grackle . Those birds he called starlings outside were grackles as well.

[@melbop618]

You are seriously an angel! ❤️ I’m having some trouble with a Starling fledgling I rescued from crows about 4 days ago. He doesn’t gape for food or make much noise. He mostly sits fluffed up in his cage or when I take him outside. I’ve been feeding him with a syringe (moistened cat food or chicken mash mixed with baby food) but he fights it every time. Sometimes he pecks at the syringe when he’s hungry but that’s about it. I’m getting desperate so any advice you (or anyone reading this) can give me would be greatly appreciated! 😊

[@mikeyfranz]

If you play my video, sometimes when he hears my bird’s squawking for food, yours will instinctively ‘gape’ for you himself. Another trick, is to not just stand there and feed him, but “make an approach“: imagine in the wild, the mother would be away getting food for a few minutes, and then fly back to the nest… so in the nest, the baby bird would perceive a shadow, and some movement, and then approach him from above (the way the mothers beak comes down from above). If you just do that smooth motion, with the tiny bit of food already on the syringe, he can take it right off of the syringe like it is her beak.

[@melbop618]

@@mikeyfranz Thank you so much for your advice! I'm happy to report that my little guy is doing much better and even picking up the food ALL BY HIMSELF now! It took a lot of patience and like you said "an approach" so I would offer him the syringe, wait a few minutes, walk away, repeat. I'm so relieved! Thank you, thank you, thank you for being such a kind human being!!!

[@markhartman2972]

I think will be back because they love each other

[@graylad]

Hey I love following your story. My wife is a dog groomer and works out of the veterinarian office. Someone brought in a baby starling that was only a couple of days old that had fallen out of the nest. He's probably only about 10 days old. I was wondering if you gave any thought to deworming any of yours, and if so, how did you do it? The veterinarian office where my work works at doesn't handle small animals and has no avian knowledge.

[@deadchannel2811]

I always wonder every time you end a sentence the starling would Squawk or chirp could IT understand him

[@RastoniaCandraI75]

They all bond with him so well, that i was surprised they d leave and not come back

[@BlackBilby]

I don't think he is a starling but he is content oretty healthy and sliwly learning the ropes. I would try more natural items for his enrichment and maybe teach him to capture a few live bugs in case pickings get tough in the wild.

[@shawnal6412]

It's a Grackle and the family of birds outside you were referring too, are Grackles as well. :)

[@mikeyfranz]

Yes! Thank you!

[@shawnal6412]

@@mikeyfranz No problem 😊

[@theovermansailor5519]

But did you make that bird fly away ??

[@PlanetRockJesus]

Their instincts are programmed by their Creator.

[@trouty7947]

Momma and Pappa birb, though they didn't exactly "programme" anything lol

[@Kidraver555]

He likes the shorts because they are a similar color to him and he feels safe surrounded by them, maybe.

[@lisabeebe1863]

[aka} DJ Whisper ~ He's hangin out with the Fam! lol

[@jensacocoonedbutterfly]

I’m new to birds really bed house bed bound but this spring got outside on the porch on my Mobile wheelchair and well been feeding birds and mealworms brought the starlings had to look them up and momma and daddy with 3 and one seemed to fall behind the other two taking the food wanted momma to feed him last few days they eating the worms but haven’t heard them much so must eat on there own the babies are loud still enjoyed them I have one bird up in the telephone pole hole little bird loud talkative and black head looked them up too think it’s a chick a Dee and my live stree last spring have a short they had nest up in porch roof and this year but tried to attract them but only starlings and little birds I have seen a red large woodpecker across street

[@4-2fo-ou69]

9:10 How can he adapt to the bird world when he wasn’t even raised that way by his bird folks which he could’ve understand. You must go up a latter to a tall tree and chill there with him, then he’ll fly fly fly, istead of getting weak for not flying that much.