…I found some baby birds on the ground fallen from their nest.

The first step is to determine whether the baby or babies still belong in their nest. Altricial birds that still need to be in their nest are known as “nestlings.” Once the babies are developed enough, they leave the nest and spend up to ten days on the ground while their parents continue to care for them. At this stage they do not need to be in the nest and are known as fledglings.

I have found a fledgling baby bird, click here.

If you have found one or more nestlings on the ground, it is likely they have fallen from their nest or their nest has been destroyed. If the babies seem alert and have no signs of illness or injury, their parents should still be hanging around the area looking for them. You can help get these babies back in their parents’ care by following these steps:

Step 1: Look directly above where the babies and/or nesting material was found. Look for any remnants of the nesting material in the closest structures—this may be a tree, but remember that some species of birds nest in crevices in buildings (such as vent openings), rooftops, light fixtures or climbing vines. You may also notice a trail of bird feces below the original nest location. If you cannot determine the nest location, stand further away from the area and watch for adult birds that may be returning to the nest location looking for their young (standing too close by may scare the adults and prevent them from returning while you are there).

Step 2: If you have determined the original nest location and you are able to access it, make a new nest for the babies! Click here for instructions. Replace the nest as close as possible to the original location. Birds identify their babies by location, so they will often not feed babies if the nest is not in / very close to (i.e. within a foot) the right spot, even if they can hear or see them.

Step 3: Monitor the nest from a distance for several hours to determine if the parents are continuing to care for their babies. Do not worry if you have touched the baby. Parents WILL accept babies that have been handled by humans, though handling should be kept to a minimum to avoid frightening the babies.

If the baby is healthy and the nest location is known, please make every effort to get the baby into the nest. Not only is this the baby’s best chance for survival, but wildlife rehabilitators have limited resources to care for baby birds and try to direct these resources to birds that are actually injured or do not have parents.

I can’t determine the original nest location or have no way of accessing it, click here for more.

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