Baby Birds
RESCUE ADVICE
A baby bird with any of the following signs is injured and needs medical attention:
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There are obvious wounds or blood on its body
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It has had contact with a cat or dog – even with no obvious injuries, this is a medical emergency for baby birds
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The bird is lying on its side and cannot right itself
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The bird has droopy wings or limps
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There is a dead parent nearby
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It is covered in bugs or insects
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The bird feels cold to the touch when you pick it up.
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To keep the baby bird(s) safe while you figure out how to help them, put them in a small cardboard box with a soft towel or t-shirt. Even on a warm day babies can get cold, so give them a heat source using ​a plastic bottle from the recycling bin filled with hot tap water and wrapped in a face cloth or tea towel. Do not give them any food or water – right now keeping them warm in a dark and quiet place is more important.
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For any babies who are not injured, it may still be possible to reunite them with their parents. Work out what life stage they are at to decide what to do next:
Life stages of baby birds
Is it a hatchling or nestling?
Hatchlings and nestlings must be reunited with their parents
If the baby bird is pink, has no feathers and its eyes are closed, it is a hatchling. If it is sparsely feathered and not capable of hopping, walking, flitting, or gripping tightly to your finger, it’s a nestling.
In both cases the nest is almost certainly nearby. If you can find the nest (it may be well hidden), put the bird back as quickly as possible. Don’t worry—parent birds do not recognize their young by smell. They will not abandon a baby if it has been touched by humans. If the nest has been destroyed you can make a new one using a clean icecream container, place the chick back inside and watch to see if the parents come back.
Is it a fledgling?
May be monitored from a distance
Most of the baby birds people find are fledglings. These are young birds that have just left the nest, and can’t fly yet, but are still under the care of their parents, and do not need our help. Fledglings are feathered and capable of hopping or flitting, with toes that can tightly grip your finger or a twig. These youngsters are generally adorable and fluffy, with a tiny stub of a tail.
When fledglings leave their nest they rarely return, so even if you see the nest it’s not a good idea to put the bird back in—it will hop right back out. Usually there is no reason to intervene at all beyond putting the bird on a nearby perch out of harm’s way and keeping pets indoors. The parents may be attending to four or five young scattered in different directions, but they will return to care for the one you have found. You can watch from a distance to make sure the parents are returning to care for the fledgling.
Is it precocial?
May be monitored from a distance
Precocial birds are born with downy feathers, eyes open, able to stand and follow their parents. They can feed themselves. e.g. ducklings, plovers.
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These youngsters will always be on the ground, as will the nest they are using. Stay well clear and watch to ensure the parents are attending.
PLEASE BE AWARE - Nests can never be moved
Protection of native animals
All native birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, but not including dingoes, are protected in NSW by the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
Hunter Wildlife Rescue acknowledges Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which our offices and operations are located, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.
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