Signs of illness or injury in baby birds:

• The baby has been picked up, played with or attacked by a cat (assume the bird is injured even if no other signs are evident)

• The baby is fully covered in feathers (not just down, or feather “shafts”) but cannot stand up

• The baby has neurological symptoms such as leaning, circling, losing balance, a head tilt, or unresponsiveness

• The bird is in shock (the animal appears sleepy or non-responsive)

• The baby is closing its eyes (except in cases of newly hatched unfeathered babies, whose eyes may be sealed shut) – often described by finders as “going to sleep”, while in front of them

• The baby has evident blood or wounds, no matter how minor

• The bird has no use / impaired use of one or more limbs (e.g. limping, one wing drooping lower than the other)

• The baby has unusual feather loss (e.g. patchy baldness, feathers broken off or missing)

• The bird has string, fishing line or other materials protruding from its mouth or wrapped around any part of its body

• The baby has a foreign substance (such as oil, grease, or glue) on its feathers

• The baby bird appears wet when its not raining (including water birds)

• The baby has discharge from its eyes, nose, or mouth

• There is blood in the bird’s urine / feces

• The baby appears blind

• There are swellings or lesions on the body

• The bird is missing part of any limb or its beak

• The baby is gasping, wheezing, sneezing, or breathing is audible

• The bird has signs of dehydration (check this by looking at mucous membranes around the eyes and mouth – do the eyes appear sunken? Does the skin hold a “wrinkled” shape when gently pushed aside?)

• The baby is cold to the touch or is shivering

• The baby has observable external parasites such as mites, ticks or maggots, or there are flies swarming around the baby

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