Is the bird injured (bleeding, broken bones, puncture wounds, been in a cats mouth, open wounds, etc.)?
• If YES, take the bird to your nearest wildlife veterinarian or rehabilitator • If NO, see below. Is the bird fully feathered? • If YES, any fully feathered baby bird found on the ground, seemingly unable to fly, is probably just fledging – a natural state of development in the bird’s life. If it appears to be uninjured, leave the area, and do your best to keep pets and children away from the bird. The parent(s) will not feed the youngster while people are around • If NO, attempt to find the nest. An uninjured bird found on the ground with little or no feathers needs to be returned to the nest. Look around in trees and bushes to see if you can locate the nest. Correct identification of the nestling or of the parents will help locate the nest (i.e., bluebirds are box or cavity nesters, morning doves build basket nests on horizontal branches or in a tree fork) Can you find the nest? • If YES, simply put the bird back. However, make sure the young are warm to the touch. If the baby is no
