Found a baby bird out of its nest? Here’s the best thing you can do
During the middle of summer, many baby birds can be spotted out of their nests.
While the fledglings may look like they’ve flown the coop too early, they probably don’t need your help, says Marcelle Bakula, vice president of Pacific Wildlife Center in Morro Bay.
“A lot of people bring in rescued baby birds who they think can’t fly,” Bakula said. “But they are perfectly healthy fledglings.”
Fledglings are young birds that have just left the nest. At this stage, baby birds are feathered and capable of hopping or flitting with tiny toes that can grasp twigs tightly.
It takes a few days for the fledglings to get their strength, and learn to fly, Bakula said.
The fledglings tend to look a little frazzled, “like they did not look in the mirror in the morning,” said Judy Neuhauser, president of Morro Coast Audubon Society. “But their feathers are new, smooth, and beautiful. You’ll also find yellow rubbery ‘lips’ on fledglings.”
According to Neuhauser, fledging is the most dangerous part of birds’ lives “because they leave the nest before they are capable of flying.” Once they leave the nest, the young birds can become easy prey to cats, dogs and skunks.
At this time of year, you’ll find all sorts of baby birds, including scrub jays and California towhees.
Why baby birds leave their nest
When fledglings leave their nests, they rarely come back. In fact, if you return baby birds to their nest, they’ll probably hop right back out.
“The nests are to be thought of as cribs. They aren’t homes,” Neuhauser said.
When birds are fledglings, they experience what’s known as the branching stage. The young birds go about 30 to 40 feet from the nest, which on a tree is far away from ground predators, according to Neuhauser.
This is where the birds practice flying — flapping their wings, lifting and try to land back on the branch, Neuhauser explained.
Although the fledglings seem unattended, their parents are keeping a close eye on them — but may also be tending to another four or five youngsters nearby.
If you wait and watch from a distance, you’ll see the parents come back to care for the fledglings, said Neuhauser.
You may notice that the parents’ feathers look “very worn out, and frayed. They look ratty,” Neuhauser added. “The parents spend all day long getting food and going back and forth to feed all of their babies. They’re working hard.”
Fledglings will either flutter their wings or make calls to signal they want to be fed. When the young birds get more confident at flying, they’ll still follow their parents and beg for food, Neuhauser said.
Eventually, though, the birds learn to feed themselves.
What to do if you find a baby bird, and think it’s injured
Usually, there is no reason to intervene when you see a baby bird, beyond putting the bird in a nearby bush out of harm’s way.
But if you see nestlings — sparsely feathered birds not capable of hopping, walking or flitting — they could have fallen out or their nests or could be injured. Nestlings may also just have puffs of feathers, and have small, short feathers and tails.
In that case, it’s best to bring the bird to Pacific Wildlife Care, Bakula said.
Pacific Wildlife Care recommends placing the bird in a quiet place, and inside a box with holes for transport.
Avoid petting or holding the bird, as that could add additional stress, and do not feed it. If the bird needs to be fed, the center has special food formulas designed specifically for each species.
According to Bakula, it’s not true that touching a baby bird will lead to it being rejected by its mother. Parent birds do not use scent to identify their young, so they will not abandon a baby after it has been touched by humans, Bakula said.
About 80% of the patients at Pacific Wildlife Care are birds.
Once at the center, experts will do a close examination to examine the bird’s health. If they find nothing wrong, the bird will be returned to its nest.
If the nest was destroyed, trained volunteers will rebuild it, so the bird’s parents can find their offspring and continue to care for it.
If the bird is orphaned, the center can rescue and rehabilitate it.
“It’s important to let parents raise them, whenever possible,” Bakula said. “They do the best job of showing them where things are in the habitat, teaching them good places to hide, and where to find water and food. “
If you find a bird and suspect it fell from its nest or was caught by a cat or dog, call Pacific Wildlife Care at 805-543-WILD (9453) for guidance.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.