The first week to 10 days that a young bird spends out of its nest are filled with parental lessons that are crucial for its survival. Unbeknownst to most human passersby, at least one of this fledgling robin’s parents is probably nearby, responding to its calls, feeding it, and teaching it valuable survival techniques. (Photo by Mary Holland)
Much happens in the natural world during the month of June: aquatic turtles migrate to sandy patches to lay their eggs, young fawns begin exploring their surroundings, treefrogs start trilling, and as the month progresses, young birds are frequently discovered on the ground, looking helpless and abandoned. Our first reaction when we see such a bird is to “rescue” it, for if it were supposed to be out of its nest, it would be capable of flying away, would it not? Actually, this is not necessarily so.
Young birds are referred to as altricial (born naked, with eyes closed, and dependent upon parents for warmth and food for a number of weeks) or precocial (born with downy feathers, eyes open, and capable of obtaining their own food within hours of birth).
The young songbirds most commonly found on lawns are altricial. They occasionally fall out of the nest, either jostled out by siblings, or startled by a predator or loud noise. The trick, when you find a young bird on the ground, is to determine whether it is a recent fledgling or if it should still be in its nest. If its eyes are closed, it lacks many feathers and is unable to hop around, you can assume that it belongs in a nest. If feathers have developed and eyes are open but you’re still questioning whether it’s a nestling or fledgling, pick it up in your hand and attempt to have it perch on one of your fingers. (Birds have a poor sense of smell, and they will return to care for their young, even if they have been handled by a human.)
A general rule of thumb is that if the bird is incapable of firmly gripping your finger, it is a nestling, prematurely out of its nest.
Once you have determined that it is a nestling, there are two schools of thought as to what to do. One is to let nature take its course, and do nothing. The other is to lend a hand. If the nestling is chilled, warm it in your hands and then, if it appears healthy, try to locate its nest and return the young bird to it. Usually the nest is close by and well hidden. (Nestlings don’t often take a tumble so if soon thereafter you find the bird on the ground again, you can assume it’s time for it to be out of the nest.)
If you can’t find the nest, you can construct a make-shift one out of a berry basket or a butter tub with drainage holes in it and tie it to a nearby branch. Place the young bird in it and then leave the area. Once you are out of sight, the parent bird should return to feed it. If you watch the nest from a distance for two hours and there is no sign of a parent, or if the bird is injured, then other measures, such as calling the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game 508-389-6300 or going to its wildlife rehabilitator list online at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/rehab/wildlife_rehab_index.htm.
To have possession of a young bird, you must have federal and state permits. Even if this were not the case, the amount of time that is required to care for a young bird is staggering. Parent birds feed their young every 15 to 20 minutes from sunrise to sunset for several weeks. An adult robin makes about 400 trips every day to feed its young. Even though rehabilitators have come up with very nutritional recipes and find the time for frequent feedings, a majority of young birds in their care usually die. Young songbirds start out life with only a 50 percent chance of surviving long enough to fledge from their own nest (R.Pasquier) and a 30 percent chance of surviving their first year (Massachusetts Audubon Society). Being raised by humans rather than their own parents lowers their odds even more.
If you decide that the young bird is a fledgling (it will usually have feathers and a short tail at this stage), it should be left alone. Leave the area so that the parents can tend to it. Although it may look like it needs your help, its own parents are probably nearby. Most fledglings leave the nest before they are capable of sustained flight and before their parents are finished caring for them. They can hop and perhaps fly short distances when they first leave the nest, but for the next week to ten days their parents are still feeding them and teaching them skills that they will need to survive. Contrary to popular notion, by not taking any action at all, you may very well have saved its life.
Mary Holland is the author of “Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey Through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England.” She has a natural history blog which can be found at www.naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com.
