When a strong windstorm hit Serra, Espírito Santo, Brazil, Paulo Henrique never imagined he would become the caretaker of a newborn great kiskadee. On his way home from work on the morning of November 20th, he spotted the tiny bird lying on the ground, blown from its nest high atop an electricity pole. With no safe way to return him and worried that someone might harm the helpless chick, Paulo decided to take him home and give him a chance to survive.
Paulo’s creativity quickly turned the rescue into something remarkable. He built a warm, safe shelter for the chick and even crafted a “fake mother” to help feed him. Using matchsticks, glue, a sponge, cardboard, and dental floss, he created a small device that mimicked a mother bird’s beak. When he tested it, the chick immediately lifted his head, opened his beak, and began communicating with the improvised “mom,” a moment that melted the hearts of everyone who saw it online.
Meet Paulo and a tiny great kiskadee whose life he recently saved
We reached out to Paulo and asked him to share more about how he found the chick and what inspired his creative feeding solution. He explained: “On the morning of November 20th, we were coming back from work. As we arrived at the gate of our building, we saw the baby bird lying on the ground. Above him, there is an energy pole where the nest is located. He probably fell because of the strong wind, since that day there was a big windstorm with very strong gusts. We could not put him back because the nest was too high. We also worried that, since many people pass through that area, someone might harm him. So we decided to take him home. We placed him in a small basin and started taking care of him.”
On a windy morning in Serra, Brazil, Paulo spotted the chick lying helpless on the ground, blown from its nest high atop an electricity pole
Paulo’s creativity quickly turned the rescue into something remarkable. “First, I made a small handle using wooden matchsticks, gluing them together with quick-drying glue. Then, I used dental floss to wrap the moving parts and secure them in place. I made a stick similar to a chopstick and added a sponge to work as a little spring. Then I started picking up food and feeding him,” he explains. “Later, I remembered a video on Instagram from a veterinary clinic where they fed a toucan using a fake toucan beak, and it worked perfectly. That inspired me. I grabbed a supermarket flyer, cut some pieces of sponge, put them inside, and shaped everything with glue. I added two little eyes made of black paper and created a cardboard beak that looked like his mother’s. I attached it to the clip where I hold the food. When I tested it, I got close to him, and he immediately lifted his head, opened his beak, and started communicating with the ‘mother.’ He reacted to the feeding call, and that is how the video happened.”
With no safe way to return it and worried someone might harm the bird, Paulo decided to take the chick home
Paulo also shared how rewarding – and at times worrying – it has been to watch the chick grow: “Sometimes I get a bit worried, wondering if I am doing everything correctly, since he is a wild animal and there is always someone who might say it is not the ideal procedure. Because of that, I have been studying his natural diet, which includes insects, small amounts of meat, fruits, and similar foods.”
He placed the tiny bird in a small basin and started providing care, determined to give it a fighting chance
Looking toward the future, Paulo has a clear plan for the little bird: “My future plan is to raise him until he becomes strong enough to fly and survive on his own in nature. But if, for some reason, he does not want to leave and chooses to stay with us, I am thinking about registering him and creating a space where he can live freely. If later he decides to fly away, he will be able to. Those are the plans for his future.”
Paulo didn’t stop there – he built a warm little shelter to keep the bird safe and comfortable
