Three orphaned House Finches were found in their nest inside an equestrian helmet earlier this month in Redwood City, according to the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA (PHS/SPCA).
The parents of the baby House Finches had built the nest inside the helmet but did not return to the nest for a number of days, PHS/SPCA spokesperson Buffy Martin Tarbox said.
The House Finchces were brought to the Wildlife Care Center in Burlingame to be cared for until they are old enough to survive on their own, and then they’ll be returned to the wild, Tarbox said.
House Finches are native the San Francisco Bay Area and are celebrated for their melodious “warbling song.”
“House Finches are known to build nests in cavities such as openings in buildings and cup-shaped outdoor decorations, but this is the first time we’ve seen a pair of breeding House Finches build a nest in a helmet,” according to Tarbox. “Thankfully someone spotted the vulnerable parentless baby birds and contacted us for help. There is no possible way the trio of nestlings could have survived on their own.”
PHS/SPCA estimates the House Finches are about three weeks old.
Photo courtesy of PHS/SPCA
