I Found A Baby Bird, Now What?

Spring is the busiest time of year at Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and hundreds of baby birds are brought to us. We would like to remind everyone that baby birds should only be brought to us if they are injured or if your are sure that they have been abandoned by their parents. Baby birds go through developmental stages that make them vulnerable to predators and humans. Some of the stages that baby birds go through are sometime mistaken as an injury. Here’s some information to help you better determine the stage of development the bird you’ve found is in:

Fledglings: Baby birds that are beginning to leave the nest are called 'fledglings'. Their flight feathers aren’t fully developed, but they can flutter from branch to branch. Don't be alarmed if you see a fledgling on the ground. It could be taking a rest from its first flight or it could be waiting for one of its parents to feed it. A chirping baby robin on the ground, for example, is most likely telling its parents that it is hungry and it is letting them know where they can find it. Parents coach their fledglings to find suitable cover and feed them even after they are able to fly. Like all parents, adult birds can't be everywhere at once, so if you watch a grounded fledgling for a half an hour you'll probably see one of its parents bringing it several snacks.

Ground-Nesters: Many species of birds, especially precocial birds, nest on the ground. Precocial birds are birds that hatch from the egg with their eyes open, fluffy and ready to follow their mother. Sandpipers and killdeer are examples of this type of bird and if you see one on the ground and a parent is anywhere nearby, leave it alone. It is supposed to be on the ground and its chances of survival are low if it is taken away.

Developmental Categories of Baby Birds
By Beth Bridges

Baby birds can be divided into roughly two categories based on independence and development of the baby upon hatching.

(1) Altricial: less developed when they hatch, completely dependant on parents for care and feeding. Ex: all songbirds, woodpeckers, swifts/hummingbirds, pigeons and doves
-Hatch featherless/blind/ almost completely helpless
-Only their digestive system is well developed (egg sac)- all other major systems -skeletal, muscular, nervous, sensory systems continue to develop after hatching.
-In general, smaller birds develop more quickly than larger birds (example, for sparrows it takes about 2-3 weeks from hatching to fledge, for crows it takes about 4-5 weeks from hatching to fledge)

(2) Precocial: more developed upon hatching, able to see/eat on their own/ swim. They still rely on parents for protection and warmth (this includes: most waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans) and most shorebirds (killdeer, sandpiper, etc)

• Upon hatching-eyes open/ covered in downy feathers/ able to eat/walk/ swim on own.
• Some are led to food by their parents for a short period of time/ others know how to forage for food immediately
• Primarily rely on parents for protection and warmth/ unable to thermo-regulate until they reach fledgling age
• Development is much slower than in altricial birds (ex) ducklings do not reach fledgling stage until 12 weeks of age
  

Developmental Stages for Altricial Birds

Hatchling - (from hatching to several days old)

• Sparse down on head and back
• Eyes closed
• Unable to sit up/ balance
• Rapid development- feeding by parents’ dawn to dusk
• Unable to thermo-regulate on own

Nestling - (several days to several weeks)

• Beginning to feather/down/quills
• Eyes open
• Developing balance
• Beak soft and brightly colored
• Rapid development- feeding by parents’ dawn to dusk
• Unable to thermo regulate on own

Fledgling - (~2-3 weeks to ~5-6 weeks)

• Tail feathers short/most body feathers in
• Beak starting to harden/lose color
• Starting to leave the nest/ trying to fly
• Learning to find food but still rely on parents
• Able to thermo-regulate on own

Juvenile/ Sub-Adult

• Fully feathered
• independent, flying and eating on own

Adult

• Sexually mature/able to reproduce
• Generally, first breeding season is one year after hatching
  

Developmental Stages for Precocial Birds

Hatchling - (1-2 weeks)

• eyes open, standing, eating on own
• covered in downy fuzz
• smaller than the palm of your hand
• unable to thermo-regulate on own

Nestling - (2 weeks- 10 weeks)

• eyes open, standing and active, eating on own
• covered in downy fuzz
• roughly the size of the palm of your hand
• unable to thermo-regulate fully on own
• at the end of this stage downy fuzz beginning to be replaced by quills/feathers on wings and body

Fledgling - (10weeks - 12weeks)

• downy fuzz remaining mostly on head, body feathers have mostly come in
• roughly two palms length in size
• starting to look like an adult bird
• able to thermo-regulate on own
• starting to stretch wings and practice flying –still unable to fly

Juvie/Sub-Adult

• fully feathered, color bands have appeared on wings in some species, may be able to distinguish males from females.
• able to fly

Adult

• sexually mature/ able to reproduce
• generally, the first breeding season is one year after hatching.

STEP 1: Determine if the bird is hurt
STEP 2: How to rescue a sick or injured baby bird
STEP 3: Transporting a sick or injured baby bird to greenwood wildlife rehabilitation Center
STEP 4: I've rescued a baby bird, now what?

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