Where to get help for nestling or fledgling songbirds

Wildlife Rehabilitation

Baby songbirds should receive care from a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Wildlife rehabilitators are trained to provide care for wild animals. They are licensed to do so by provincial and/or federal governments.

Baby songbirds need a specialized diet, species-specific housing, and medical treatment that you cannot provide at home.  It is illegal to keep any wild animal at home without a permit for longer than 48 hours. Please contact a wildlife rehabilitator right away for help with the baby songbird you have found.

Help for baby songbirds in King Township

If you have found a baby songbird in King Township, call our Wildlife Hotline at 416-631-0662 or visit our online form and leave us a message. Our hours are 9am-6pm, seven days a week (yes, even on holidays!).

Toronto Wildlife Centre currently has a contract with King Township to provide wildlife advice, and we will return your call as soon as we can.

Help for baby songbirds outside of King Township

Unfortunately, Toronto Wildlife Centre doesn’t currently have the capacity to care for baby songbirds. Due to the extremely high volume of calls about orphaned baby songbirds, we can’t admit babies or answer calls from municipalities where we don’t have a contract.

There are other wildlife rehabilitators who might be able to admit the baby songbird you’ve found. Please check the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s complete listings. 

Some municipalities hold contracts with other wildlife service providers. If you’re a resident of these areas, please use the contact number listed below to request assistance.

If you are in the City of Richmond Hill, contact Vaughan Animal Services. You can reach them at 905-832-2281 or 1-855-227-7297.

If you are in Aurora, Newmarket, or Georgina, please contact 1-877-979-PAWS.

If you cannot reach a wildlife rehabilitator right away

Keep trying. Wildlife rehabilitators are very busy, especially during the spring and summer. If you get an answering machine, leave a message and make it easy for them to reach you. Call around to others in the area. Be willing to arrange transportation for the animal once a rehabilitator is found. Remember that there is no government funding for wildlife rehabilitation in Ontario, and all rehabilitators are funded entirely by private donations.

You cannot keep the baby bird or care for it yourself – it needs specialized care that you don’t have the means to provide. Keep it in a cardboard box in a dark, quiet, place. Make sure it has a heat source, like a hot water bottle.  Don’t give it any food or water until you’ve spoken to a wildlife rehabilitator. Further temporary care instructions can be found here.