Web Earth Online

Well today I found a baby bird on the ground that had it's downy feathers. I decided to leave it alone because it was doing fine and the mother was feeding it (the mother was a cardinal I think). I threw some bird seed in the grass though so the mother would have an easier time. Ten minutes later the baby was still fine so I went inside quite happy. There was a problem though, the dog. After about twenty minutes or so I had to let the dog out so I did and kept and eye on him. I didn't see the baby bird though so I figured it was hiding. After a while I took the dog back inside and checked his face. There wasn't any possible bird stuff on his muzzle. Later that evening, I looked around to see if the bird was ok. It wasn't, I found it on my yard in the grass dead . The bird was motionless and had a small cut across it's throat and it's feet sticking up. My dog has caught an adult sparrow before (about a few months before this) and ripped to pieces. So now I'm wondering what I should've done and what happened to the bird.

So what do you do when you see a baby bird with downy on the ground that's fine with the mother nearby? Also, what do you think killed the baby bird?

It could have been a cat, or your dog.

Bird wars. Outside my house, chickadee parents kill each other's chicks in order to take over my porch awning. They may seem cuddly, but birds are vicious killers.

Oh by the way I don't have a cat and the neighbors cats are indoor cats. The bird idea could be a possibility.

If it is being fed by the mother, you should leave it alone. It might have been killed by other birds, such as Mynas. You dog might have stepped on it and slit its neck. The baby could have tripped and slit its neck on a twig, or got a grass cut. (Highly unlikely)

I think he should've found the original nest. The mother would probably prefer her baby safe at home then on the ground.

Well good news I found another baby bird alive. It's in the pool area surrounded by fencing which has many bushes in it. The mother hid the baby very well this time so I think it will be ok.