A Little Birdie Told Me
When you’re known as the “animal person” among your friends, you tend to get some interesting phone calls. Just the other week, one of my kindhearted friends called me because she had found a baby bird in her yard and wanted to know what she should do. After a couple of pointers, she was able to help the little guy on his way.
It’s the time of year when baby birds are leaving their nests, so chances are good that either you or someone you know will come across a little tweeter hopping around on the ground. As tempting as it is to rush in and scoop the baby up, it’s important to remember that most fledglings don’t need our help. They’re probably just going through “flight training”—the period of time when they’re on the ground and learning how to fly—and their parents are likely nearby, keeping a close watch on the little one.
So before you get involved, make sure the birdie truly is injured or in danger. If not, your well-meaning “help” will do more harm than good! The following are some questions to consider to determine if the baby really needs help and some tips on what to do if the baby does:
• What do the bird’s feathers look like? Fledglings who are going through flight training have a mixture of fuzzy down and new feathers at first. Their backs often look fuzzy, while their wings are beginning to get longer pinions, or flight feathers. If the bird is fuzzy on the back and has feathered wings, or is mostly feathered, leave him or her alone.
• If the baby is completely fuzzy, or totally naked, he or she needs help back up to the nest (don’t worry, your scent won’t keep the parents away). If you can’t reach the nest, make one from a berry basket, kitchen strainer, or small plastic container with holes punched in the bottom and filled with shredded tissue. Hang it in a sheltered spot near the original nest.
• Is the bird injured? Flyers in training hop about, take short, stilted flights of a foot or two, and quite often fall flat on their chins. You may even see the initial dive as the rookie leaves the nest and falls to the ground.
• Do you see any blood or broken bones? If you see blood, a wing that can’t be folded properly or doesn’t move at all, or an easily visible broken leg (as opposed to the usual hopping movements of a bird this age), contact your local animal shelter or wildlife rehabilitator immediately. Keep in mind, though, that babies often tire easily or sprain their muscles when they first start. They will then hold quite still while they rest. If after 30 minutes to an hour, the baby is still lethargic or immobile, he or she needs your help.
• If you see any baby animal who is obviously injured or whose mother has been killed, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Your local animal shelter can probably provide their phone numbers, or you can check out our Web page on locating a rehabilitator.
• Keep in mind that it’s illegal in most states to care for birds unless you have a rehabilitation permit, so please contact a wildlife rehabilitation center and transport the animal for care as soon as possible.
For more tips on how to help baby birds and other wildlife, please visit our wildlife emergencies page. Thanks for being “tweet” to baby birds!
July 9th, 2009 at 11:15 am
This probably goes without saying but if there is a cat nearby (and in my neighborhood there is always a cat nearby) grab the baby no matter what his condition and return him to mama.
July 9th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
For the 2nd year in a row, the birds have built a nest in my garage near where my cat sleeps. Last time, I was able to put wire fence around it to keep them safe. Because of where the nest was, the babies could not get out unless they flew up, then out. My cat left them alone, until the babies got out one night and hit the floor. They were almost completely covered in feathers, so they were late fliers. I found their 3 little bodies dead on the garage floor, I cried for 2 days. This year I inspected the garage and pulled out any starter nests to discourage them from my garage. Unfortunately, one of them found an empty flower planter on top of the hot water heater and now we have 3 eggs. They are inches from my washing machine!
I cannot go thru this heartbreak again. If my cat would stay indoors, I would keep him there. But even tho neutered, if we don’t let him out when he asks, he will spray a wall until we do let him out. He has lived in the garage since 2002, when we first discovered him out there.