When you release a baby bird back into the wild, you may have to temporarily care for it.If you determine that a nestling is in need of help, you should build a temporary shoebox nest and get it to a wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.If the baby bird has fallen from its nest and is not injured, you should let the parents take over.
Step 1: You have to confirm the bird is injured before you help it.
If you see a baby bird on the ground, you should bring it inside and nurse it back to health.Unless the bird has an actual injury, you will probably do more harm than good.Bleeding or open wounds, lifelessness, with very little movement, and dehydration are some of the signs of injury or illness in baby birds.The bird probably isn't injured if it is sitting calmly or moving around.Call a wildlife rehabilitator if you are not sure.
Step 2: Scoop up the bird with your hands.
If you can, wash your hands and put on gloves.Place one thumb against the back of the bird's neck and scoop your other fingers beneath and around it.If the baby bird is too big for one hand, use both thumbs and scoop with both sets of fingers on opposite sides.To prevent the bird from falling, hold it tightly.Don't squeeze it.After handling the bird, wash your hands thoroughly.
Step 3: If you want to poke holes in the lid, line the box with a t-shirt or paper towels.
Any cardboard box will do.A soft base can be created by sticking a folded-up T-shirt or several paper towels in the bottom.To poke holes in the lid, use a pen or screwdriver.You can either have someone else prepare the box while you hold the bird, or you can create an emergency nest box ahead of time.If you have to work on the box with one hand while you hold the bird with the other, you will need to find a soft, secure temporary spot.
Step 4: Put a bird in the middle of a facial tissue nest.
There are 12 tissues in the center of the box.The bird will fit if the hole in the middle is large.Release your hold when you gently lower the bird into the tissue nest.The sides of the tissue nest should not be higher than the bird's head.A bird might move out of this spot and around the box.Put tissues around the bird's legs to prop it up if it can't sit with its head upright.
Step 5: Place the box on a warm heating pad and tape the lid to it.
If you are dealing with a bird that could potentially escape, put the lid on immediately and secure it with tape.Keep the temporary nest dark, quiet, and cozy by putting a lid on it.If you have a heating pad, place it on its lowest setting and put the shoebox on top of it.You can place the box in a quiet place if you don't have one.
Step 6: If you want the bird to be taken to the wildlife rehabilitator, contact them.
If you can get the bird to a wildlife rehabilitator within 1-2 hours, it will have a better chance of survival.When you make contact with a rehabilitator, put the shoebox in your car and drive to their location as soon as possible.You can find local wildlife rehabilitators by calling your government's environmental, natural resources, wildlife, or similar department.Try websites such as theahnow.org.Unless directed to do so by the wildlife rehabilitator, don't give the bird food or water.It is easy to drown, choke, or poison a baby bird.
Step 7: Look for its feathers and features.
Unlike nestlings, which are either bare-skinned or have a downy coating, fledglings have typical bird feathers, as they are in the early stages of learning to fly.If it looks like an adult bird but can't fly, it's almost certainly a young bird and can be left alone.
Step 8: If the bird is healthy and safe, leave it there.
Fledglings are usually found on the ground beneath their homes.Their transition to independence involves hopping and/or fluttering down from the nest.The bird is being cared for by its parents until it is ready to care for itself.If the young bird is not injured and in the vicinity of its nest, it has a good chance of avoiding predatory animals and reaching adulthood.If you attempt to release the bird back into the wild, it will be less likely to reach a healthy adulthood.
Step 9: It can be placed on a low branch to protect it from a predator.
If it is in obvious danger, you should only pick up an uninjured bird near its nest.If you know there is a cat around, you may want to pick up the bird and deposit it on a branch higher up than the cat is likely to reach, but not all the way up to the nest.If you use one or both hands, place your thumbs on the back of the bird's neck and scoop it with your fingers.Parents can continue their care if you wash your hands and leave the immediate area.
Step 10: If there isn't a nest in sight, call a wildlife rehabilitator.
If you have reason to believe that the nest has been destroyed, then you should contact a wildlife rehabilitator.They may tell you that the bird is ready to make it on its own, based on your description, or they may advise you to bring it to them.You can find wildlife rehabilitators by contacting your local government authority or searching online.
Step 11: You can identify a nestling by its skin.
There are either bare skin, a fluffy down-like coating, or a mix of down and some very thin pin-feathers.They look pear-shaped, can't fly, and are helpless outside of the nest and their parents' care.The nest will almost always be directly above if you find a nestling on the ground.If you can, look into the nest to see if the nestling on the ground looks like the ones still there.Get in touch with a wildlife rehabilitator if you can't find a nest in the immediate area.
Step 12: Scoop up the nestling and place it in the nest.
Put your thumb on the back of the bird's neck to pick it up, then wash your hands and put gloves on.It should be deposited into the nest as quickly as possible.If you want to reach a nest that is too high, don't risk your own safety.In this case, contact a wildlife rehabilitator.After handling the nestling, wash your hands thoroughly.
Step 13: Until the parents arrive, watch quietly from at least 80 feet away.
If you are still in the area, the nestling's parents won't return.Relocate to a place that is out of the way so you can still see the nest.Birds rarely leave their nestlings alone for more than a few minutes unless there is a predator nearby.You won't have to keep an eye on the nest for a long time.You can rest assured that the nestling will be taken care of once you spot an adult bird returning to the nest.It is a myth that birds will reject a nestling with a human scent on it.
Step 14: If the bird falls again if the parents don't return, call a wildlife rehabilitator.
The parents should be given at least 30 minutes and an hour to return to the nest.You can assume they are not coming back at all if you don't see them return during this time period.Follow the guidance of a wildlife rehabilitator in this case.Call your government agencies charged with overseeing the environment or use a web search to find wildlife rehabilitators.