This baby hummingbird fell from her nest and was found, hypothermic and utterly helpless, on the ground. Fortunately someone saw her and brought her to WildCare's Wildlife Hospital.

In this video our team is offering the baby specialized hummingbird food from a syringe. The bulb on the bottom of the syringe looks large, but the tube without it would be too pointed and sharp to allow us to feed safely, and the baby has clearly figured out how to eat from it!

After being stabilized in our hospital, the baby was picked up by Brenda, our volunteer hummingbird Foster Care expert. A hummingbird this young requires feeding every 15 minutes from sun-up to sundown, and she will need this care for the next three weeks. Brenda also has three other orphaned hummingbirds in Foster Care right now.

As we always say, we could not care for orphaned wildlife like this tiny hummingbird without our amazing, dedicated volunteers!

Remember that ANY hummingbird on the ground needs immediate rescue and care!

If you see a downed hummingbird, call WildCare's Hotline at 415-456-7283, and then carefully pick up the bird WITH whatever the bird is holding in her feet. Hummingbirds have tiny, fragile toes, and trying to remove a hummingbird from whatever she is using as a perch can easily break her toes.

Admitting this newly-hatched baby also reminds us that it's time to Respect the Nest. Please delay any non-emergency tree trimming or pruning of shrubs, hedges and bushes. Baby animals are here! Click to learn how YOU can Respect the Nest this spring!

Video by Melanie Piazza. Cover photo by Christopher Whittier