Remember:
A healthy baby’s best chance for survival is with the mother.
Interactive Decision Tree
Here is a quick decision tree for assessing the situation and taking appropriate action when you find a young bird. You can also view a single page pdf of the full flow chart by clicking here.Is the bird hurt or sick?
- Bleeding?
- Unable to utter wings?
- Wings drooping unevenly?
- Weak?
- Shivering?
- Attacked by another animal?
Call a wildlife bird rehabilitator
Click here for a list of contactsIs the bird feathered?
It is a FLEDGLING.
It is normal behavior to be hopping and fluttering on the ground. The parents are most likely still feeding bird.People often needlessly "rescue" these babies. Fledglings are "toddlers" learning to fly!
Is bird safe from cats, dogs and people?
It is a NESTLING and needs help.
Can you find the nest? Is nest intact?
Leave the area.
The baby is OK!
Thank you for your careful observation.
Put bird in bushes or on a tree limb nearby.
Watch from a distance.Are the parents nearby?
Leave the area.
The baby is OK!
Thank you for your careful observation.
Call a wildlife bird rehabilitator
Click here for a list of contactsPut baby back in nest
Observe from a distance. Are parents visiting nest?Make a substitute nest
Poke holes in the bottom of a basket or margarine tub. Line with the old nest or dry grass and hang from the original or nearby tree.Put baby in the nest
Observe from a distance. Are parents visiting nest?Leave the area.
The baby is OK!
Thank you for your careful observation.