Baby Birds

Incompletely Feathered Baby Birds

Baby birds that are partially feathered are often found sitting on the ground below a tree and are automatically assumed to have fallen from the nest. It's easy to think they may need your help, but at this stage in a young birds development, they are considered "fledglings" and will commonly jump or fall out of the nest. This is part of their "flight training" stage. The mother bird will continue to feed the fledgling on the ground until it is able to fly. If the young bird is not injured it is best to leave it alone and make sure to keep cats, dogs and curious children away so the mother can continue to feed it.

Featherless or Downy Baby Birds

photo: (c) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - J. Leupold

Baby birds that are naked for the most part are considered to be "nestlings". These babies should remain in the nest for the parents to feed them. If they are found out of the nest it's usually on the ground directly below. This occurs because the nestling either has fallen out, it was blown out after a windstorm or was pushed by a sibling.

If you come across a baby bird out of its nest, the best thing that you can do is try locating the nest in surrounding trees and shrubs and place the nestling back in it. If you cannot locate the nest you can create a "makeshift" nest out of a clean container such as a margarine dish. Make holes in the bottom of it to allow for water drainage, then line the bowl with paper towels. Tack the makeshift nest back up in the tree as close to the original nest as possible. Finally, place the baby bird (s) into this and leave. The parents will usually come back in a short time to feed the nestlings. It's a misconception that if you touch a baby animal, especially a bird, that the mother will abandon the infant for good. This is not the case, as birds in general have a poor sense of smell (except for vultures) and will not mind the fact that you have handled them. They will, however, be bothered by your presence around the babies.

Very Important: The 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects all native birds. It is illegal for any person to possess birds, dead or alive, nesting material, eggs, feathers and bones of a bird, without the proper permits from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the State of Illinois. It is illegal to harm or kill a protected bird species. It is also illegal to remove or destroy nesting material from a nest once an egg has been laid. Contact the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for additional information on the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. www.fws.gov

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