I found a baby bird - what should I do?

Baby Birds Out of the Nest

Sooner or later, no matter where you live, you’ll come across a baby bird on the ground. You’ll have to decide whether you should rescue it or leave it to fend for itself. In most cases, it is best not to interfere. The natural parents do a much better job at raising their young than we could ever do. A featherless baby bird must be fed every 15 to 20 minutes from sunrise to 10 p.m. – a significant time commitment for any foster parent.

Feathered Fledglings

If the bird is fully or partially feathered, chances are it doesn't need your help. Fledglings, also known as “branchers,” typically leave the nest and move about on the ground and on low branches for a few days before they can fly. Their parents are nearby and continue to care for the birds, answering their demanding calls with regular deliveries of food.

Unless injured, a fledgling bird should be left where it is. You can help by keeping cats, dogs, and curious children away from the bird so the mother can continue to feed it. However, removing a native bird from its environment is illegal, and deprives it of the essential care it needs from its parents.

Naked Nestlings

If you find a baby bird with sparse feathers or none at all, it is a nestling that has likely fallen or been pushed from a nearby nest. If you can find it, you can give the bird a helping hand by returning to the nest. It’s best to wear gloves, but mostly for your own protection. Birds have a poor sense of smell, and it’s not true that they will abandon their chicks if a person touches them.

If you can’t find the nest or accessing it is too dangerous, put the baby bird where its parents can find it and where it will be safe from cats. Use a small plastic berry basket, margarine tub, or similar container lined with shredded paper towels (cotton products tend to tangle up in birds’ feet). With a nail or wire, fasten the makeshift nest to a shady spot in a tree or tall shrub near where the bird was found. Next, place the nestling inside, tucking the feet underneath the body.

The parents will usually come back in a short time and will feed the babies in the container just as if it were the original nest. Often, you will see the mother going back and forth between each “nest,” feeding both sets of babies.

Ducklings and Goslings

If a baby duck or gosling is separated from the mother and siblings and you know where they are, place the baby close to its siblings and where the parent can hear it. Then watch from a distance to see if it rejoins its brood and is accepted by the parent. You can also try introducing the baby duck to another brood of approximately the same age.

If the baby bird is rejected, retrieve it and place in a ventilated container with soft lining. Put in a quiet place and contact a wildlife rehabilitator

When to take a Baby Bird to a Wildlife Rehabilitator:

  • You are certain the parents are dead or not caring for the nestling.

  • The bird is sick or injured, exhibiting drooping wings, shivering, lethargy, or an attack by a cat, dog, or other predator.

The closest rehabilitator that takes all species is the Washington State University (WSU) Exotics and Wildlife Ward at 100 Grimes Way in Pullman, (about 90 minutes from Spokane); call them at 509-335-0711 to make arrangements to bring a baby bird in.

Any willing veterinarian can legally provide simple, stabilizing care for a wild animal until it can be transported to a wildlife rehabilitator.  

Do not attempt to treat or raise a wild animal yourself – it could be harmful to the animal or to you, and it’s against state and federal laws. If you are not properly trained, you could make an animal’s situation worse or even kill it. If kept improperly, animals may lose their natural fear of humans and become more vulnerable to predation or injury.

To prepare to transport a baby bird:

  • Find a suitable and well-ventilated container (ie., cardboard box with air holes that can be closed) and line it with a clean soft cloth (not terry cloth) or paper towels.

  • Gently pick up the bird with gloved hands and place it in the container.

  • Keep the baby bird in a warm, quiet, and dark place. In cold weather, you can put one end of the container on a heating pad set on lowest setting. If a heating pad is unavailable, use a warm, not hot, rice heat pack placed inside the container next to the bird.

  • Do not give the baby bird any food or water.

  • Wash your hands and anything that contacts the bird to prevent the spread of disease and/or parasites to you or your pets.

If you cannot transport a truly orphaned baby bird to a vet or rehabilitator, call the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Eastern Regional Office in Spokane at 509-892-1001 or TeamSpokane@dfw.wa.gov. You can also contact the Spokane Audubon Society volunteer bird help team by going to this link and submitting the form. If our volunteers confirm your belief that the bird needs help, and if one of them is available, they may assist with getting it to a state licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Spokane Audubon volunteers only handle native birds, not the non-native, abundant, invasive species like starlings, English sparrows and pigeons.

All wildlife rehabilitators are volunteers, relying on donations for their services. If you send an animal to them for care, consider making a donation to them.   

Wildlife rehabilitators are limited by their state and federal permits as to how many and what species of animals they may admit to their facility.  (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service requires a permit to rehabilitate migratory birds, and coordinates with WDFW regarding threatened and endangered species.)

To learn more about wildlife rehabilitation, including all Washington state licensed wildlife rehabilitators listed by county, see  https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/injured-wildlife/rehabilitation.