How to Take Care of Abandoned Baby Birds
If you are a gardener or spend a lot of time outdoors, chances are that you will find an abandoned baby bird on the ground. It can be difficult to determine if the baby bird has been abandoned because sometimes the parents are away gathering food and will return. If you observe that the baby bird is, in fact, abandoned, there are simple ways that you can care for the bird and save its life.
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Instructions
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Check the baby bird for injuries. If the bird is bleeding or looks exhausted and its eyes are closed, call a wildlife rehabilitator to ask for guidance. An injured bird will need help immediately if it is going to survive. Before you call, pick the baby bird up very gently, put it in a small box lined with tissue paper and put it in a warm, safe place.
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Determine if the baby bird is a nestling or a fledgling. A nestling will have no feathers other than tiny down or pin feathers. A fledgling is a baby bird that is old enough to learn to fly. It may still be fluffy with down, or it may have most of its feathers and will look much like an adult bird. It may seem awkward and gawky in its movements.
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Return the baby bird to its nest if you have determined that it is a nestling. If the nestling hasn't been abandoned, the nest will probably contain more nestling birds that look identical to the bird you've found. If you can't reach or locate the nest, construct a makeshift nest of a small box lined with leaves or straw. Put the nest on a low branch of the tree where you found the bird.
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Stand at a safe distance of at least 50 to 75 feet and use binoculars to watch for the parent bird's return. Keep pets and children indoors during this time and don't stand too close to a window because the parent birds may be able to see you. Your presence may prevent the parent bird from returning to its nest.
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Call a wildlife rehabilitator if the parent birds don't return to the nest within an hour. This is an indication that the nestling bird has been abandoned. Nestling birds are fed every few minutes and they won't survive long without food.
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Leave the bird alone if you have determined that it is a fledgling. Stand at a distance and make sure that it is safe from cats, dogs and children. It is normal for fledgling birds to stand on the edge of the nest and topple out before they have figured out how to fly.
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Call a wildlife rehabilitator if the fledgling does not fly within an hour or if the parents haven't returned. The wildlife rehabilitator will advise you about how to bring the abandoned fledgling inside for care.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't move a fledgling to a new location because the parent birds won't be able to find it.
Never attempt to feed an abandoned baby bird.
