What To Do If You Have Found An Injured Or Orphaned Wild Bird
Our infirmary team is available to admit injured birds by appointment, seven days a week. We depend on people who discover them to bring the birds to us for care. If you've found an injured bird, please contact the infirmary at 908-647-2353 to schedule an appointment. For driving instructions visit our Directions page.
For guidance on capturing, handling, and transporting the bird safely, please refer to the article "Capturing, Handling, and Transporting" for detailed instructions and safety precautions.
Follow the steps outlined below after reading the guidelines.
Please use a cardboard box to transport the bird. Prepare the box by punching holes in the sides and lining it with a soft towel or t-shirt. DO NOT USE A WIRE BIRD CAGE!
Approach the bird with caution. Again, please see the Capturing, Handling, and Transporting section for special precautions to use with larger birds and raptors.
Secure the bird by throwing a large towel or blanket over it. Gently but firmly lift the covered bird and lower it into the box. Close the box securely!
Keep the bird WARM, DARK AND QUIET! Please bring it to us or another licensed rehabilitator for help as soon as possible. Disturb as little as possible - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GIVE IT WATER OR FOOD unless instructed to do so by a licensed rehabilitator.
Please do not attempt to care for the bird yourself.
Injured Bird FAQ
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Many injuries to birds are caused by human activities and may be difficult to prevent. If you should find an injured bird in a situation you cannot resolve yourself, don’t risk getting injured. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or animal control officer for help.
Birds commonly collide with motor vehicles, tall buildings & windows. In some cases, they may only be temporarily stunned or in shock and need some time to recover. Place them in a small box with air holes and place the box in a dark, warm place. A heating pad on low may be helpful in the recovery process. After an hour of quiet, if the bird is alert and ready to fly, you may release it. If the bird does not leave the box or hops out but doesn’t fly, bring it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for care.
Birds can also be poisoned by chemicals, tangled in fishing line, fly into wires, get stuck in glue traps, be shot illegally, or encounter countless other problems. Any bird that has sustained a serious injury has little chance of surviving. Try to capture it and get it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator ASAP.
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Please click the link below for more information about orphaned baby birds.
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Did you find a Nestling and Fledgling? Before addressing the subject of what to do if you find a baby bird, understanding a bit of avian breeding biology might be helpful.
Depending on their development at the time of hatching, birds are said to be either altricial or precocial.
Altricial young:
At hatching are helpless & usually naked
Their eyes are closed
They are totally dependent on their parents for food and care
They are hatched in well-constructed nests built by their parents, usually in trees, bushes or shrubs, and are called nestlings.
Robins, crows, cardinals, doves and other songbirds, plus many other species, are altricial birds. Nestlings grow quickly, become feathered and, depending on their species, leave the nest in two to four weeks. When they leave the nest, or in bird terminology, fledge, the young are called fledglings. Most fledglings are still tended and fed by their parents (even on the ground) for a short period of time until they become completely independent.
Precocial young:
Are much more developed at hatching
They are covered with down feathers
Their eyes are open
They are able to run about (or swim) soon after hatchingThey can feed themselves at an early stage.
Precocial chicks are usually hatched in nests on the ground and remain with their parents until self-sufficient. Quail, pheasants, gulls, ducks, geese and shorebirds are a few examples of precocial birds.
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A young nestling cannot walk, hop or fly and may not have all of its feathers yet. If you find a nestling on the ground and it is warm to the touch and uninjured return it to the nest if you can. The parents will not reject it because you touched it.
Do not feed without first speaking with a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Every bird species has a different diet. The wrong food can harm the bird.Do not give it water or milk! Nestling birds get all their moisture from their food. Water put in a baby bird’s mouth can go directly into the lungs.
The nest may be very close by, even directly above where you found the bird.
Some bird nests may fall on the ground after heavy rain or wind. If the nestlings are warm, uninjured and the parent birds are still nearby (parent birds are very reluctant to abandon their young), place the nest back up in the tree or bush. If this is not an option call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Some birds, such as woodpeckers, bluebirds, chickadees and screech owls nest in cavities and holes. Their nestlings can also be returned to the nest, but it may be more difficult to locate or reach the nest site.
If you find a nestling that is injured, cannot be returned to the nest or is really orphaned with no parents in attendance, then you may have no choice but to rescue it. Gently pick it up with your hands. If it is cold to the touch, warming the chick is very important.
If you can’t get it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately, you can make a temporary nest by using a small container (box or bowl) lined with facial tissues. Keep the bird warm by placing a heating pad on low under the container. If you don’t have a heating pad, a bottle of warm water wrapped in a paper towel may be used.
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It is especially important that you take any rescued nestlings or fledglings to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. A young bird’s greatest need is to grow up with others of its own kind. A licensed avian rehabilitation center can provide the right environment, diet and medical care to properly raise an orphaned wild bird and is licensed to do so.
Although fully feathered, young birds often leave their nests before they can fly. Fledglings are able to perch (grasp with their feet), flutter, hop out of the nest and spend time in the nearby trees, bushes and sometimes on the ground. This is perfectly natural. Fledglings are fed and tended by their parents until they become self-sufficient.
Different species leave the nest at different stages of development and many are perfectly fine out of the nest before they are self-sufficient. In fact, their parents may be watching them from a distance. If the bird is in a safe place, keep watch to see if the parents are tending to it.
If the bird is injured, or if after watching for a while you are positive no parent birds are caring for it, then rescue may be the best choice.
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Canada Geese and Mallard Ducks often choose poor nesting locations, such as under residential shrubbery, near backyard swimming pools, in office building atriums and courtyards, and even on rooftops. Try to discourage ducks and geese from nesting in such inappropriate locations.
Unattended ducklings and goslings may seem well developed, but parental care is still needed during this period and they are not able to survive on their own. If they are separated from their parents, don’t just take them to the nearest body of water and leave them there.
Single ducklings and goslings are often in need of rescue. If you find a family nearby, try to place the young near the mother and allow her to lead the young to the nearest body of water. If you accidentally scare the mother away, she may return.
If you are in need of further help, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
