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What to Do if you find a bird in need!
Note: Parents will NOT reject their babies if you handle them, but be careful, babies are fragile!
Unfeathered Babies
If baby is alert, warm, and begging for food, return it to the nest. If it is unresponsive, cold, injured, or cannot be returned to the nest, call a rehabilitation center immediately. Babies eat every 20 minutes. ALL cat caught birds should be taken to rehab. Place baby in a small cardboard box lined with unscented facial tissue and set on a heating pad set on low. DO NOT give food or water as it is easy to aspirate a baby bird.
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Feathered Babies
Baby birds hopping on the ground with adults near by have fledged and are
learning to fly. If alert, please keep cats, dogs, and people away for a few days.
If you are not sure the baby is truly an orphan, place baby in a nearby bush and
observe from inside the house. If an adult does not come back in a few hours,
call a rehabilitation center. If the baby is too young to hop around and is fully
feathered, alert, and not injured, place back in nest.
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Fledgling vs. Adult Bird
Fledgling birds have shorter tail feathers than adult birds (Notice the difference between the length of the fledgling Wood Thrush’s tail (below left) compared to the length of the American Robin’s tail (below middle). These are obviously not the same species, but they are in the same family, thus similar enough to compare. Frequently the feathering is different between fledglings and adults. Notice the speckled pattern on the breast of the fledgling American Robin (below right) as compared to the more solid feathering on the adult American Robin (below middle). This description is not exhaustive. It is meant to provide a brief guide in determining if the bird hopping around in your yard is an adult that needs help or a fledgling that is learning to fly.
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Pigeons & Doves
It is difficult to return these babies to their nests. Young pigeons stay with their parents a long time. If you are not sure the bird needs attention, call a rehabilitation center.
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Adult Birds
If an adult bird can be caught, probably something is wrong and it needs help. Place in a small cardboard box lined with paper towels and place in a quiet, dark
place until you can get help.
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This American Robin was brought into Wildbird Recovery, Inc. after being shot with a dart. This Robin was not found until many days after being shot with the dart allowing infection to spread throughout his whole body. Unfortunately he died
from sepsis shortly after being admitted to Wildbird Recovery, Inc. |
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