Birds

Baby Birds

Many baby birds often need rescued or given a little help along the way. Please follow our advice below if you come across any bird that concerns you.

Nestlings

Nestlings have very few or no feathers at all which makes them easily recognised.

Nestlings who are found to be outside the nest are too young and without help they won’t survive. If it is obvious that the chick has fallen from its nest and appears healthy please carefully place the chick back into the nest, without disturbing the siblings.

Fledglings

A fledgling bird is a fully feathered young bird that is typically found out of the nest learning to fly.

It’s understandable for people to be concerned when they come across a young bird on the ground that appears clumsy and unable to fly. However, this is a vital part of the learning to fly process and the parents are very likely to be nearby, watching their young making their first efforts to take to the skies.

We would ask anyone who has concerns to try to monitor the fledglings from a distance to see if the parents appear within a couple of hours.

If a fully feathered young bird is in harm’s way, on a road or somewhere it could be vulnerable to predators then it may be possible to move them to a safer spot in a nearby hedge or tree.

Injured Baby Birds

If a baby bird appears to be injured or unwell, the best thing to do is to place the chick in a secure box with air holes and take it to the nearest vet to be examined, the USPCA can provide you with a veterinary voucher number to cover the cost of treatment. To obtain a voucher code please call the centre. 

Alternatively, if you are unable to bring it to your local vet please call our Rescue Officer on: 028 3025 1000.