How to help baby birds

This advice relates to garden birds, this being the most common type of baby bird encountered by humans. For advice on waterfowl chicks please see here

There is a great deal of misinformation about what you should do with baby birds and a great number of birds die unnecessarily as a result. Certain national domestic animal charities run huge campaigns each year telling the public never to pick up a baby bird. If you call them you'll be told to leave the bird alone regardless of the situation, any injuries and the age of the bird.

It certainly is important not to interfere when not needed but each situation should be assessed individually and ideally by a wildlife expert. There is no one single appropriate response to a baby bird situation.

The sad fact is that baby bird casualties run into many many thousands each year. Caring for them is extremely resource intensive, pretty mundane, messy and sometimes disappointing as a fair number will die. As a result some organisations are keen to avoid taking them in and not above giving out incorrect information to achieve this. The advice which follows is unbiased. It is based on many years of experience in caring for baby birds but with nothing to gain from giving you incorrect information. Our only motive is ensuring that baby birds are given the help they need when they need it.

So, when should I rescue a baby bird?

	If the bird has been caught by a cat. Any bird which has been bitten by a cat, regardless of its age, will need rescue and treatment. There are bacteria on cat's teeth which will pass into the bird's bloodstream when it is bitten. Without antibiotics within a few hours of the attack the bird may develop fatal septacaemia. Urgent action is required here.
	If the bird is obviously injured eg you can see a wound, or a wing or leg is damaged.
	If the bird is out if its nest and is not feathered. If you know where the nest is, try to return the baby to the nest and watch to see if the parents return. If you can't find the nest, try making a replacement nest and placing it in a bush or hanging it from a tree branch. For example, take an ice cream tub, make a hole in each side and thread some string through and then hang it from a low branch. Wait for an hour or so to see if the parents return. If there's no sign of the parents it will need rescuing. Birds of this age are very fragile so you must take urgent action and ensure the baby is kept warm and fed (see "What to do next" below)
	If the bird is out of its nest, only partially feathered (its tail is short and it still has a fluffy appearance) and there is no sign of any parent birds for a couple of hours. The baby is less vulnerable at this age but still needs to be fed by Mum and Dad. Make sure baby is safe, placing it in a bush or hedge if needs be, and keeping pets and humans well away. Watch to see if the parent birds return and attend to their baby. If not, it will need rescuing.
	If the nest has been destroyed and the occupants are not fully feathered. Try placing the babies in a makeshift nest as above and watch to see if the parents return. If not, the babies will need rescuing.
	If the bird is in immediate danger from a cat, cars or any other threat. Try placing the bird in a safe place such as a bush or low branch of a tree but if it is still in danger it will need rescuing.
	If both parents have been killed.
	If the bird is fully feathered, not injured and not in immediate danger. The bird is probably a fledgling taking its first flight. If possible place the bird in a hedge or low branch of a tree to keep it safer. Observe to make sure the bird remains safe.
	A baby owl at the bottom of a tree - this is quite normal. Only intervene if the baby is injured or in immediate danger.

If you find a baby pigeon the same rules for whether or not you should intervene apply, although baby pigeons are fluffy when they hatch, never actually bald. You should not attempt to feed a baby pigeon - this should only be done by very experienced handlers - but the good news is they can safely go without food for several hours. Baby pigeons are often mistaken for ducklings so this is what a baby pigeon looks like

What to do next

IMPORTANT - baby birds are very delicate and, in some situations, it is vital that you act URGENTLY to ensure the baby's survival. If the bird has been caught by a cat or is still bald or only partially feathered then please find a wildlife rescue without delay. A bird caught by a cat needs antibiotics within four hours of the attack or it may develop fatal septacaemia. A very young baby may need feeding as often as every 15 minutes or it will quickly fade and without feathers babies cannot regulate their body temperature even on very hot days. Many wildlife rescues will take in casualties 24 hours a day in such situations.

One common myth is that once you have touched a baby the parents won't take it back. This is not true for birds as they actually have quite a poor sense of smell and recognise their young by sound. So if a baby's parents are still around but the baby is simply in a precarious place, you can safely pick up and move the bird to a safer place nearby.

You're unlikely to be bitten or otherwise harmed by a baby bird but you can pick the bird up with gloves if you prefer. If the bird needs to be rescued, place it in something like a shoebox or ice cream tub lined with tissues. If you need a lid to keep the bird contained, don't forget to provide plenty of airholes.

Any baby bird which needs rescuing should be taken to a wildlife rescue as soon as possible, ideally within an hour. If this is not possible then keep the baby somewhere quiet, away from pets and minimise human contact as much as possible. The baby will need to be warm if it is not fully feathered. An airing cupboard may suffice for partially feathered birds but younger ones should be given a hot water bottle. Put the baby next to rather than on the bottle so it doesn't overheat. As a rule, the baby should feel warm to the touch. If it feels cold it needs more heat and if it is panting or feels very hot, it may need less.

Baby birds need feeding very regularly and can quickly die through lack of food. If you cannot get the baby to a wildlife rescue within an hour or two, then most garden birds (but not pigeons or doves) can be fed with moistened cat food. Pick up a very small piece (about pea sized for most, kidney bean sized for larger babies like crows or magpies) with some tweezers. Touch the baby gently on the beak with the tweezers and you should find it "gapes" - begs for food. Place the food near the back of the baby's mouth. Feed the baby 2-3 tweezer fulls every 15 minutes for very young babies or 30 minutes for partially feathered birds or fledglings. Never force feed though, if the bird does not gape, keep it warm and somewhere dark and get help for it urgently.

You do not need to give the baby water, it will get all the moisture it needs from the food. Never give milk (they cannot digest it), alcohol (very dangerous old wives tale) or worms (some are toxic). Just moistened cat or dog food will keep them going for a few hours until you can get the bird to a wildlife rescue.

Ooh it's really cute, can I keep it as a pet?

No, no, no, no, no! If you take only one thing away from this website please let it be this. Wild animals are just that. They are not pets. Rearing baby birds is a full time job and then some. They need to be fed every 15 minutes from dawn til dusk. In the summer this means up at 6 and feeding til 10 without a break. The cat food suggested on these pages is fine to keep them going for a few hours but long term they need a specially forumlated mix containing the right balance of vitamins and minerals. Knowing when to stop feeding them is a practised art and I've seen many inexperienced people overfeed and choke a baby bird. They also need to be kept at just the right temperature.

Even if you get the bird through this difficult stage what will you do with it then? Do you really think it fair to keep a bird designed to fly free in a cage, on it's own with no company of it's own kind? As it grows up it will revert to it's wild state and come to fear and hate you. You will be condemning the bird to a miserable existence. If you're reading this website, if you've gone to the trouble to rescue a bird then you must really love animals. Please demonstrate this by doing what is best for it. Please take it to an experienced wildlife rescue so that it can have the best possible chance of being rehabilitated and returned to the wild. If you have fallen in love with it why not offer to help at your local wildlife rescue and perhaps get involved with rearing babies for them? Some rescues have foster schemes where helpers take babies home with them either full time or even just an evening a week to help ease the burden on them.