Found a Bird that Needs Help? CALL Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter at (910) 294-2555
Found a Bird that Needs Help? CALL Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter at (910) 294-2555
Many young birds brought to wildlife rehabbers are not in need of help at all. The key to avoiding unintentionally “kidnapping” a bird is to learn to tell the difference between a true baby bird, called a nestling, and a fledgling.
Fledglings
It is a natural part of many species’ development that they leave the nest shortly before they learn to fly. These fledglings spend time near their old nest, in shrubs or on the ground, learning and being fed and cared for by their parents. Eventually, they graduate from hopping and flying short distances to becoming completely flighted. These young birds should be left alone and allowed to continue their natural development.
You can tell that a young bird is a fledgling by the presence of well-developed feathers on their bodies, and they can walk, hop, and perch. The parent birds are likely to be nearby as well, but will leave their young for short periods while they forage for food. People who come across fledglings during these untended periods mistakenly assume the bird has been abandoned, but parent birds rarely abandon their young. You can help fledglings and their parents by keeping pets (and humans) away from the area to avoid disturbing them.
You should only interfere with a fledgling under the following circumstances:
Nestlings (Baby Birds)A nestling is a true baby bird, one that is too young to leave the nest. They can be distinguished from fledglings by a lack of feathers. Very young nestlings may not have opened their eyes yet.Sometimes nestlings fall out of their nests. Search the area where you found the nestling for its nest. While you are searching, make sure the nestling is warm by placing it in a “nest” of tissue or a towel. If you can find the nest, replace the bird in the nest–your scent won’t cause abandonment–and observe from a long distance for 30 minutes to make sure the parents are still providing care. If the entire nest has fallen out of its tree or shrub, replace it and observe the area. In both cases, if the parent birds resume tending to the young, nothing else needs to be done. If the parents do not return, contact Sea Biscuit or another licensed rehabber to bring the nestling(s) in.
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