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Health & Fitness

What To Do When You Find a Baby Bird

Advice from an apprentice wild bird rehabilitator on whether or not a baby bird needs your help and what to do for it if it does.

Hi, animal lovers,

It’s that time of year again:  baby bird season! As an apprentice wild bird rehabilitator, I get many calls and e-mails starting in early May about what to do with a baby bird someone has found.  I’m here to tell you exactly what to do so you know for future reference! 

Most commonly, the best thing to do for a baby bird (or any baby animal, for that matter) is to leave it alone.  Baby birds leave the nest before they can fly and remain on the ground (or in trees, shrubs) for several days as they learn to fly.  Their parents are often gone for long periods of time to find food for the youngsters or feed themselves and that is perfectly normal.  If the baby bird is feathered, standing up, appears alert and energetic, and maybe even begs for food from you, it is perfectly healthy and you would do it a disservice by interfering.  Its parents know how to raise it better than humans do!  Give it space, as many songbird parents are shy and will not return if you are near the fledgling, and keep pets inside and away from him as well.  If the fledgling is in a bad place (road, near a feral cat, etc.), feel free to move it to a safer spot nearby such as a low bush.  Its parents will easily find him there by his calls. 

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If you find a very young, un-feathered baby bird, try your best to return it to its nest, which should be directly above where you found it.  You can touch the baby bird with no fear of the parent rejecting it because of your scent.  That is something some mammals do, but not birds, few of which have any appreciable sense of smell, so let’s put that myth to rest!  If this is impossible, you should place the bird in a box (shoeboxes work great) in a dark, quiet, warm place until you can get it to a wildlife rehabilitator who will do their best to raise and release it.  Do not try to force food into the bird’s mouth and never try to feed water.  If the baby is voraciously begging, you may feed it a small amount of dry dog food soaked in water hourly until you get him to a rehabilitator, but this temporary diet is not sufficient to raise a healthy bird and rehabilitators know the proper diets.  Remember, it is illegal to keep a native wild bird unless you have state and federal permits so make sure you get him to a rehabilitator ASAP.  Rehabilitators are thoroughly trained in avian medical care and can utilize antibiotics, x-rays, and other treatment you do not have access to and they will have other baby birds to raise yours with so he doesn’t become “imprinted” and think he’s human!

Other situations in which your intervention is warranted:  you find a duckling, gosling, or shorebird without its parent.  They never leave their parents’ side and will not survive on their own, so if you find one alone, get it to a rehabilitator!   Or if you find a fledgling that is obviously injured (bleeding, dragging a wing, lying on its side, weak, etc.), you should bring it to a rehabilitator as well. 

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Here is a list of the closest rehabilitation centers:

The Raptor Trust, 1390 White Bridge Rd., Millington, NJ  908-647-2353, open to admit birds 24 hours a day, no appointment needed!

The Avian Wildlife Center, 146 Neilson Rd., Wantage, NJ  973-702-1851, call before bringing a bird

Thanks for your concern in helping our native wild birds! 

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