Songbird Rescue Information

  1. Song Birds: hundreds of species, often small birds also called "perching birds" meaning they call hold tightly to branches with their toes.

  2. Shore Birds: many species are found on ocean shores, but a great many also use interior fresh water, and wetland areas as well. These birds have an amazing variety of bill shapes and sizes.

  3. Raptors: or birds of prey, characterized by hooked beak, sharp talons, and keen eye sight

Songbird Rescue InformationIn the spring and summer months most of the bird calls will be relate to an "abandoned" baby song bird. It is rare for song birds to be abandoned by the parents. Both parents raise the babies. In some colonial species, such as Scrub Jays, other adults will act as "Aunts or Uncles" to assist in the raising of the young. Callers often fear the parent bird must have died because it can not be seen in the proximity to the baby. While this is possible, unlike mammal species, both the male and female parents feed the young thus making chances that both have died more unlikely. If you have ever tried to see a small bird in a dense oak tree you know how hard they can be to see.

If a young song bird is found on the ground there are three likely possibilities:

  1. It was rejected by its parents. The parents may have sensed something is wrong with it and pushed it out of the nest. Chances of rehabilitating these birds with genetic faults, successfully, are slim. Song birds may also push their young out of the nest if there was not enough food resources to sustain themselves and their young.

  2. The baby may have fallen from the nest due to severe weather. (High wind gusts.)

  3. Most likely the baby hopped out of the nest on its own. During a birds fledgling phase, they are just learning how to fly. They can often hop, run, and flutter, but not yet take flight. Always ask a caller if they had to chase the baby as it hops/runs around that it is a fledgling and it is best to leave it alone.

No matter whether the baby was rejected, fallen, or hopped out of the nest, see if the original nest can be located. If possible, gently place the baby back into the nest. Most nests are either too high or too hard to find. A substitute nest can be made from small plastic beach pails or wicker Easter baskets. Make sure this new nest has drainage holes so that water will not gather and drown the baby. Leaves and twigs can be placed on the bottom to simulate a natural nest. This can be hung from a tree branch or nailed to the tree trunk. The parent birds WILL see their young and often are not perturbed by the new nest. This is why song bird feeders are so successful. It is a myth that birds will not care for their young if it has been handled by humans. Birds have little sense of smell, and do not smell humans on the babies. Advise the caller to keep domestic animals and children away from the area to allow the parents a chance to return. The baby should cheep and cherp to try to get the attention of it's parents. The parents should return after a few hours. If the bird hops out on its own it is a fledgling and the only thing to do is to keep domestic animals away. If the bird was rejected by its' parents or the parents do not return after several hours it should be brought to a rehaber for evaluation. These young birds are very fragile. Always stress to the callers the less handling the better. Before bringing the bird to a rehaber, make a place in a small covered box with soft rags for transport. Never give out feeding instructions as this may give the caller the idea that it is OK to keep the bird. Also diets in song birds vary greatly. Without a positive identification of the bird, feeding them the WRONG food does far more harm to them medically, than letting them go hungry in the short term. Never advise giving water to a baby bird with an eye dropper or syringe. The chances of aspiration (water getting into the lungs) is very high. Baby birds get all their water from the food the parents feed them. Dehydrated babies will be hydrated at the rehabilitation facility by veterinary staff. Baby birds must not get cold during transport.

Shore bird calls are usually about a bird being found on the ground with traumatic injuries. The most common injury is fishing line entanglement. It is best for an experienced rehaber to untangle these birds. All efforts should be made to not let any birds with fishing line fly off. When the bird lands in a tree it will become entangled, get trapped , and starve. If the bird has swallowed a hook they must be treated by veterinary staff. This group of birds are very high stress. If a caller states the bird has suddenly calmed down while being held or examined it is probably going into shock. They should be placed in a large box or animal carrier and not handled until arriving at an experienced rehabilitation facility. Sometimes a large broom or towel can be used to shoo or gently push the bird into the container. Caution callers that these birds have a wide variety of beaks ranging from a weak grasp not even able to pinch skin (Spoon Bills) to very powerful and accurate strong beaks (herons) that can inflict powerful bites. A towel loosely thrown over the birds head is often the safest way to move these birds.

Raptors are the most dangerous species for people to handle. While their bite is a concern, the talons are often underestimated. The talons are these birds very powerful means of defense and can inflicted substantial damage..This group of birds can also go into shock very quickly from just handling them. Shooing them or coaxing them into a large box or animal carrier is sometimes possible. When in doubt advise the caller to not handle the bird until an experienced rehaber can get to the bird with protective gloves. Remember that human safety is always first.