what to do if you find a baby bird

The calls have already started. "I found a baby bird and it couldn't fly.  What should I do?" 

The short answer is -- Nothing.  Leave it alone!  The long answer is here in the Bootstrap Public Service Announcement #2: What to do if you Find a Baby Bird.

If you see a baby bird, resist the temptation to pick it up and take it home. The vast majority of these birds are not orphans. Invariably, the ones that are "rescued" by well-meaning people end up dying because the folks that bring them home are like the proverbial dog that caught the bumper.  Once they catch it, they have no idea what to do with it.

It is perfectly normal for a baby bird to leave the nest before it can fly. Baby birds grow rapidly, with many species leaving their crowded nests inside of two weeks.  They are awkward, not fully feathered, and cannot fly.  Even if they are on the ground, their parents are most likely tending to them.  The parents may be off finding food, or just in hiding because they are more wary of you than their offspring are.

If the baby is in immediate danger of being stepped on, run over, etc., you can move it a short distance. It isn't true that the parents will abandon it if it has been touched by a human. Do not chase the baby bird all around trying to catch it.  The stress can kill it.  If it can evade you, it can likely evade a predator.

Sometimes a nest gets blown down in a storm.  You can reconstruct a nest in a container with drainage (like a berry basket) and securely fasten it near the original site.  Do not try to raise the young yourself, it is not only difficult, in the U.S., it is illegal to possess a native bird.

If the bird you find is truly abandoned, it may be that by the time you find it, it is already too late, especially if it is a very young, naked baby bird. If you must take in a baby bird --

1. Make sure it is a native species (see below).  Many rehabbers will not take non-native species.
2. Put the bird in a covered, ventilated box lined with a folded towel. Put it in a quiet, warm place, away from pets and children. In case you were wondering, yes, there are diseases you or your pets can contract from wild birds.
3. Do NOT try to feed the bird or give it water. You can easily kill it.
4. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately (Google "wildlife rehabilitators" and your locality). Raising healthy baby birds takes nearly 24-hour specialized care and knowledge of the nutritional needs of each species at different ages.  Sick birds are even more complicated.  Again, under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, it is illegal to possess a native bird without special permits.
   

The species you are likely to encounter are common, prolific, adaptable, and will have more than one brood of youngsters a year. A huge percentage of the calls I receive are for House Sparrows, European Starlings, or Rock Pigeons.  It does not make ecological sense to spend time and resources "saving" these species, which are already overabundant.  They are not protected under law by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and it may be/become illegal for these species to be rehabilitated and released into the wild.

Loss of eggs, nestlings, or fledglings is normal for all bird species and built into "the system."  It is not easy for many people to "let nature take its course," but it is nearly always the right thing to do.

• Nice page from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on baby bird issues.
• Cornell question and answer page regarding baby crows, applicable to most baby birds.
• The Purple Martin Conservation Association has an article on starling impact on martin populations and a piece on the competitive ability of House Sparrows and starlings.
• Ecological profile of starlings.
• Sialis is a bluebird organization that has many resources on identification and management of House Sparrows and the issues surrounding them.  The North American Bluebird Society likewise.

Bootstrap Public Service Announcement #1 was Tips for Backyard Bird Boxes.

Comments

[Lorri M.]

Excellent article, and filled with pertinent information, that everyone should listen to.

[Lanny]

Here's a page from Project Wildlife about hummingbirds, which are a little different from other songbird chicks.

[John]

Most baby birds beyond the "naked" stage are not completely helpless themselves.

[Cindy]

excellent post.. one I plan on linking to today..
my closest rehabber is an hours drive away, but I've fed/returned many birds to the wild, under her instructions of course. Most folks think they're helping them, when in fact they're killing them. Every birdwatcher should read this.

[Aydin]

Can we cook it & eat it?

[Gwyn]

Thank you for your reminder and suggestions regarding these "orphans." I hope you aren't just preaching to the choir, though the choir now has a place to send folks if it comes up somewhere.

[Nuthatch]

I probably am preaching to the choir as far a regular Bootstrap readers, but I know a LOT of people come here via Google searches, and a lot of non-birding, science, and nature blogs end up linking to posts like this. That was the inspiration for the Public Service Announcement series, which I'll continue. Everybody is free to submit frequently asked questions for me to tackle in the future, although I have a ready supply!

[ASHLEY]

What do you do if you find a bird egg on the ground?Can you take it in and keep it warm without it dying???

[bird]

i don't get this

[Nuthatch]

If you find an egg, it is most likely to be dead or infertile. If you were somehow able to hatch the egg, you have the same problem as before -- a baby bird that you are unlikely to be able to take care of.

[molly]

I Know someone who resently found some baby birds and have already fed and given them water. There are two different types of birds and snuggle together for warmth. The family has tried to let them go but they keep coming back like their its parents. I don't thik the birds are getting hurt by the food because they contiues to gobble down the baby food they have mixed up for them. The tiny birds seem to love it but I wanted to know if they had to get rid of it, because I heard that once a bird has been kept for a certaine amount of time they don't know what to do in the wild. Is this true and how long does that take? They also are incredibaly attatched to them ant I feel bad telling them they are making the wrong desicion. Is it really that big of a deal.

[molly]

Sorry it is me again but they are trying to feed them meal worms. They look like they are about to start flying but is it still to soon to give them live bugs.
THANKS SO MUCH!!!

[Nuthatch]

Molly -- baby birds will eat nearly anything you give them almost by instinct. It does not mean that they are getting proper nutrition, same as if you were starving and ate white bread for three weeks because that was what someone was feeding you. These birds will NOT be properly socialized, they will NOT behave normally or know how to defend themselves properly. If they are native species, it is illegal for someone to have them.

Is it a big deal? Yes, because these birds will either continue to suffer an unnatural existence in captivity until they slowly die, or suffer a similar fate if they are released. How is that not a big deal?

I personally get messages similar to this one dozens of times every breeding season. Imagine how many birds go through this because people think they know better.

[molly]

Thank You for the advise and I deffinately will tell my friend