Healthy fledglings best left in the care of their parents 

"Birdnapping" is in full swing across the South Plains once again, as healthy young birds are kidnapped needlessly and brought to the Wildlife Center by well-meaning people. Most of the time youngsters don't need your help, but some guidelines will hopefully tell people what and what not to do if they discover a small bird on the ground.

When songbirds are ready to fledge (leave the nest) they're only a few weeks old. They're fully feathered and look like miniature adults, but their tail feathers are still short; those continue to grow in length for a few more weeks.

Young birds leave the nest for a variety of reasons. They may be yanked out prematurely by a cat, grackle or other predator. They may be displaced when pruning goes too far and a nest topples to the ground along with its occupants. Others can be blown out of nests during windy or stormy conditions. Some get pushed out before they're ready by their faster growing siblings.

If things are proceeding normally, however, a fledge leaves the nest on its own accord and does not return to it. These birds should never be placed back in a tree - highly mobile at this stage, they'll only jump out again, and can injure themselves.

Even though fledges are maturing and venturing out, they don't leave the nest as good fliers. They're all awkward at first, and sometimes even crash land.

It's perhaps most important to note that bird youngsters normally spend anywhere from 4-6 days (on average) on the ground perfecting skills, including their flying skills, with parents coaching as role models.

These few days on the ground are among the most critical and necessary in the life of a young fledgling. During this time the parents teach each of their offspring by example where to seek shelter during foul weather, how to avoid predators, where to find their natural foods, and how to hunt or forage on their own. It's the beginning of their road to complete independence.

Bringing healthy fledges to a rehabilitation facility during this development phase often sets the bird back, interrupting this significant transition time. Some new admissions become so stressed in captivity they refuse to eat and must be force fed, further adding to their anxiety.

Common sense should be your guide: if a youngster is hopping around normally and trying to hop and flutter away from you, it likely doesn't need help. If it's bright-eyed and active, it's usually fine. Take a few moments to access the situation and make the right decision.

Recent heat takes a toll on some youngsters. If they're sitting in one place for a prolonged period with their eyes closed and breathing with their beaks open they should come to the Wildlife Center. Prior to transport let a few drops of water trickle into the beak by gravity from your fingertip. Don't use droppers.

Other examples of birds that should be brought in for care include any bird that only has down or no feathers at all, is lame, lethargic, lying on its side, bleeding, or any bird that's been in a cat's mouth or hurt by a dog.

Remember mom and dad may have several fledges all going in different directions; you may not see them, but they're around and constantly looking for food to keep their ever-hungry fledges fed. If a bird dive-bombs you, it's also trying to tell you to leave their youngster alone. Normal, healthy blue jays, robins, kingbirds and mockingbirds the size of tennis balls and jumping around on the ground are old enough to be under their parents' care on the ground. Clearly, this is also the time they're most vulnerable to threats and kidnapping.

It's a myth that if you touch a baby bird the parents will abandon it. Therefore, if a fledge is in harm's way - in a backyard with a pet, or too close to traffic, pick it up and move it to a safer location - to an adjacent yard, under a shrub, or in the shade in a safe place. Parents recognize their offspring by sight and sound and will quickly find their relocated charge.

Don't try to raise wild birds yourself; it's not only against state and federal law to do so, the results are almost always disastrous because unless nutritional needs are met in these early days, dire consequences including deformities and death frequently result. There's nothing more disheartening than to admit a bird that's been held by someone for a week until it's crashing due to malnutrition and then we can do nothing for it.

If you decide that a bird should be brought to the Wildlife Center, bring it as quickly as possible. Youngsters must be fed about every half hour from 7 AM until dark. The diet is species specific. Keep it warm, dark and quiet, and don't allow children to handle it. Stress and malnutrition are the two biggest killers of baby birds. Please don't feed it anything. If you live some distance from Lubbock, I'll be happy to give you advice on the phone (806 745-8120) until you can bring in the casualty.

Our animal drop-off building (95th and Indiana Avenue, East side) is open 24 hours. There are cages and carriers inside. Small birds can be placed in a small tissue lined box. There's an intercom to page a volunteer. This information is also on our web site at spwrc.org for future reference.

Do what's best for the bird you find, and if it's healthy, resist the urge to intervene and leave it alone. It's never in a young bird's best interest for you to offer improper feeding and care because you simply want to have "a wildlife experience."

Any bird's own parents are always the best bet for it to have the most advantageous start in life.



Carol Lee may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it