Baby Birds
| Published: 28th August 2007 16:29 |
Every spring and summer the RSPCA and Vets are contacted by thousands of people who find what they think is an abandoned young bird or other orphaned animal.
In most cases these youngsters have not been abandoned and 'rescuing' them may do more harm than good. Their mother is usually close by and looking out for them - human interference can significantly lessen a young animal's chances of survival.
Even when admitted to a veterinary hospital or a rescue centre where there is expertise in looking after these fledglings, the survival rate between admission and release of fledglings is only 60%.
Basic information about young birds
Don't panic if you see a young wild bird on its own!
If you do find a young bird out of its nest it is probably a fledgling. Fledglings of garden birds usually leave the nest about two weeks after hatching - just before they can fly. They will have grown all or most of their feathers and are very mobile and can walk, run and hop on to low branchs.
Fledglings are fed by their parents who are rarely far away. Often one parent will look after the fledgling while the other makes a nest for a second or even third brood of young.
What to Do
Don't try to return a fledgling to its nest as you may disturb other young birds.
Try going away from the site for an hour. On your return you will almost certainly find that the parents have taken care of the youngster.
If the young bird is in immediate danger from a predator or traffic, you should place it out of harms way near or under cover a short distance away from where you found it.
If the youngster appears to be obviously sick, injured or is simply very immature (the youngster will be unfeathered and it has probably accidently fallen out of the nest) put it in a dark warm box and take it to your nearest veterinary clinic or RSPCA centre.
Summary
No matter how hard you try, you cannot look after a young animal as well as its parents. If you find a baby bird on its own leave it alone. If you are worried come back later and check all is well.
RSPCA contact number
If you need to report an injured animal ring 0870 5555 999.
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