Orphaned Baby Birds ─ a Christmas Surprise, by Stephen Messenger

This year’s Christmas came early for Hana Buscke's family. And the greatest gifts of all weren’t under the tree ─ they were nestled among its branches.

Christmas Miracle

It all began after Buscke and her husband bought their Christmas tree at a tree farm and brought it to their home in New Zealand. What they didn’t know at the time was that the tree was also home to a family of orphaned baby birds.

As Buscke and her husband were trimming some of the tree’s longer branches before moving it indoors, something fell from the foliage and onto the ground. It was a tiny bird.

“We immediately wrapped the little one in a blanket to warm it up and ran to check the truck, just in case there were more. And we found another! Then we searched around the area and inside the tree again and found the nest with another baby still inside.”

The three hungry chicks had gotten separated from their parents when the tree was cut down and put up for sale. But then in the true spirit of Christmas miracles, they landed in a safe place where they could be well cared for and were no longer alone. From that moment on, Buscke and her husband, a former employee of a wildlife rescue center, decided to raise the birds themselves.

“It has definitely been a demanding job. We have had to feed them very often during the day, but luckily, they slept beautifully through the night,” Buscke said.

Under the couple’s watch, the baby birds began to grow quickly. To ensure that they were acclimatized to the outdoors as they practiced their flying skills, the Busckes created a temporary enclosure for them in their yard. And it didn’t take long for these sweet little souls to be ready to fly off into the wild.

“They truly became our little Christmas surprises. We just wanted to give them the best chance to grow strong, and they have,” Buscke says.

“I thought we would be the ones teaching them, but in many ways they have been teaching us too − patience, gentleness, and how to slow down and appreciate the smallest moments. It’s been an incredible experience for both of us.”

Greenfinches Not Grinches

When the Busckes were finally able to determine what kind of birds they had been raising, they were given yet another reason to smile.

“We found out they are Greenfinches, which sounds a bit like Christmas Grinch,” Buscke said. “It made us laugh, because instead of stealing Christmas, they actually became the sweetest part of ours.”

Family Brings Home Christmas Tree And Finds Three Tiny Orphans Hidden Inside

By Stephen Messenger

Originally published in The Dodo, Dec 10, 2025