Baby Snipe

Finding baby birds

It's common in spring and summer to find young birds sitting on the ground or hopping near without any sign of their parents.

Finding baby birds on their ain

Seeing infant birds on their own is perfectly normal, so in that location's no need to be worried. These fledglings are doing exactly what nature intended and left the nest deliberately a short while before they are able to wing.

Young chick, Conwy RSPB Reserve

Fledgling birds

However tempting, interfering with a young bird similar this will do more than harm than good. Fledglings are extremely unlikely to be abandoned past their parents. Just because you cannot see the adult birds does non mean that they are non there. The parents are probably just abroad collecting food - or are hidden from view nearby keeping a watchful eye, or even beingness frightened away from their youngster by your presence. Fledglings should be left where they are, in the care of their own parents.

Removal of a fledgling from the wild has to be a very last resort - then simply if it is injured or has definitely been abased or orphaned.

Please do not contact u.s. about a infant bird, as we are unable to assist. If you lot encounter an injured bird, contact The RSPCA (England and Wales), SSPCA (Scotland) and USPCA (Northern Ireland)

Protective parents

The young of nearly familiar garden birds fledge once they are fully feathered, merely before they are able to fly. These fledglings spend a day or two, sometimes longer, on the ground while their flying feathers complete their growth. The just exceptions are swifts, swallows and firm martins, which are able to fly well as before long as they leave the nest and should never be found on the footing.

Tawny owl chicks are mobile at a very early age and tin can exist seen climbing in and effectually their nest tree before they are even half-grown. If you observe a fledgling or young owl, exit it where it is. Interfering with a young owl may result in you existence attacked by a protective parent.

Can I put it back in its nest?

If the young bird is unfeathered or covered in fluffy downward (a nestling) and has obviously fallen out of a nest by accident, it may be possible to put it dorsum. Simply do this if you are sure which nest the chick came from and if it appears stiff and good for you. Sometimes parent birds sense there is something wrong with one of their chicks, or that it is dying. In cases like this they will squirt information technology out of the nest then they tin can concentrate on looking afterward the healthy ones.

If a healthy chick cannot be returned to its nest, it volition exist dependent on humans for survival and should be passed on to an proficient rehabilitator every bit soon as possible.

If the young bird has a total covering of feathers, information technology will have left the nest deliberately and is no longer meant to exist in a nest. Such a bird should be left where it is, in the care of its own parents.

Yellow wagtail chicks in nest in potato field

What if the bird is in danger?

Removal of a fledgling from the wild reduces its chances of long-term survival to a small fraction, and is normally the worst affair that could be washed. Fledglings should be left where they are, in the intendance of their parents.

If the bird is on a busy path or road, or other potentially unsafe, exposed location, it makes sense to pick it up and movement it a short distance to a safer place. Make sure you leave it within hearing altitude of where information technology was found. Birds have a poor sense of smell and then handling a immature bird does non cause its parents to abandon it.

If you have cats, brand sure they are kept indoors until the fledglings are airborne. In any conflict of involvement between wild animals and domestic pets, information technology is ever the domestic pet that must give way.

Captive-bred Corncrakes, Crex crex, at Whipsnade Zoo.

Who to contact for help

The RSPB does non run bird hospitals or a rescue service, and then delight practise not contact us about a baby bird, as nosotros are unable to help.

The RSPCA (England and Wales), SSPCA (Scotland) and USPCA (Northern Ireland) are the national charities that help and suggest on injured wildlife. Yous tin can also find an independent local rescue centre on Help Wild fauna.

Young house sparrows feeding on garden lawn