Caring for Injured or Orphaned Wild Birds

1. First Decide Whether the Bird Needs Help

Not every bird found on the ground is injured or orphaned. Many young songbirds leave the nest before they can fly well and continue to be fed and protected by their parents. A fully feathered fledgling that is alert, hopping or perching, and not obviously injured is often best left nearby while people and pets are kept away.

A naked or sparsely feathered nestling may sometimes be returned to its nest or placed in a safe substitute nest near the original location when appropriate. Precocial young such as ducklings and quail chicks may also be mobile while their parent is nearby.

2. Contact a Wildlife Rehabilitator Before Attempting Treatment

Wildlife rehabilitation requires specialized knowledge of species identification, natural diet, fluid therapy, trauma, infectious disease, housing, behavior, and release conditioning. In the United States, rehabilitation of many native birds also requires state and/or federal permits.

In California, sick, injured, or orphaned native wildlife should be directed to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also provides guidance for found injured or orphaned wildlife.

Call before transporting a sick bird whenever possible. Rehabilitation centers may need to screen for infectious diseases, determine whether they accept the species, and provide specific handling or transport instructions.

3. Safe Temporary Containment and Transport

If a rehabilitator or veterinarian advises you to collect the bird and it can be done safely, the immediate goals are to reduce stress, prevent additional injury, and transport the bird promptly.

• Wear gloves when practical and wash your hands after handling the bird or its container.
• Use a towel or light cloth to gently cover and pick up a small or medium bird when necessary.
• Place the bird in a secure cardboard box or pet carrier with air holes and a clean towel or paper lining.
• Keep the container dark, quiet, and away from children, pets, loud sounds, and unnecessary handling.
• Do not place an injured bird in a large flight cage for transport. Flapping and attempts to escape can worsen fractures, head trauma, or exhaustion.
• Do not handle raptors, herons, large waterbirds, or other birds capable of causing serious injury unless you have appropriate training and equipment. Contact a rehabilitator for instructions.

Temperature

A mildly warm, stable environment is often appropriate for a weak or chilled bird, but heat should not be applied indiscriminately. Birds with heat stress, significant head trauma, or certain medical conditions may require different management. If supplemental warmth is advised, provide it to only part of the container so the bird can move away from the heat.

4. Food and Water: Important Cautions

The original article recommended generic mixtures of dog food, puppy kibble, baby cereal, meats, grains, vitamin/mineral supplements, iodized salt, and grit for “small birds.” That is no longer appropriate general advice. Wild birds have highly species-specific diets. A warbler, dove, hummingbird, woodpecker, raptor, shorebird, duck, and seed-eating finch do not have interchangeable nutritional requirements.

For short transport to a rehabilitator, an adult injured bird often does not need to be fed at all unless the rehabilitator instructs otherwise. Attempting to feed an unidentified bird can be more dangerous than waiting for professional assessment.

If professional care is delayed

Ask the receiving rehabilitator what, if anything, should be offered. Species identification, age, body condition, hydration, trauma, time since last food intake, and the bird's ability to swallow all affect the decision. Never assume that because a bird opens its mouth it is safe to syringe-feed water or food.

Raptors and other carnivorous birds

Whole-prey diets are used in professional rehabilitation for many raptors and other carnivorous species because muscle meat alone is nutritionally incomplete. However, prey selection, preparation, feeding frequency, and food safety should be managed by trained rehabilitators rather than improvised in the home.

Supplements and grit

Do not routinely add vitamin/mineral powders, vitamin D, iodized salt, calcium, or grit to an injured wild bird's diet. Supplementation is species- and condition-dependent, and excessive amounts can be harmful. Grit is unnecessary for many bird species and is not a universal requirement.

5. Situations Requiring Prompt Veterinary or Rehabilitation Care

• Cat or dog contact: even small punctures may be serious and can introduce dangerous bacteria.
• Window or vehicle collision: a bird that remains abnormal, cannot fly normally, has asymmetric pupils, bleeding, weakness, or loss of balance needs assessment.
• Breathing difficulty: open-mouth breathing, pronounced tail movement with respiration, abnormal sounds, or cyanosis are urgent signs.
• Fractures or dislocations: a hanging wing, abnormal leg position, inability to stand, or exposed bone requires professional treatment.
• Bleeding: significant or persistent bleeding requires urgent care.
• Entanglement: fishing line, hooks, glue traps, netting, and string can cause hidden tissue damage even after the bird is freed.
• Oil or chemical contamination: do not attempt home washing without professional guidance; improper washing can worsen hypothermia and stress.
• Neurologic signs: tremors, seizures, circling, head tilt, inability to coordinate movement, or unusual lack of fear may indicate trauma, toxins, or infectious disease.

6. Zoonotic Disease and Biosecurity

Wild birds can carry infectious agents that affect other birds, domestic animals, or people. The practical precautions are straightforward: minimize direct contact, wear gloves when appropriate, wash hands after handling birds or contaminated materials, keep wild birds completely separate from pet birds and poultry, and contact a wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian before transporting a bird that appears unusually sick.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, including H5 viruses, continues to circulate in wild birds. The general risk to the public is low, but people with close or prolonged exposure to infected birds or contaminated environments have greater risk. Avoid unnecessary contact with sick or dead wild birds, particularly waterfowl, shorebirds, seabirds, raptors, and birds with neurologic or respiratory signs.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife advises people not to bring potentially sick wild birds home and to contact the receiving rehabilitation facility or veterinary clinic before transport. Dead or sick wild birds can also be reported through the appropriate state wildlife-mortality system.

West Nile Virus

Wild birds are important hosts in the West Nile virus transmission cycle, but people ordinarily become infected through the bite of an infected mosquito—not from touching a live or dead infected bird. The CDC reports no evidence that handling live or dead infected birds is a usual route of human infection. Even so, bare-handed contact with dead birds should be avoided as a general hygiene precaution.

Dead-bird reports are useful for West Nile surveillance. In California, dead birds—particularly crows, jays, magpies, ravens, sparrows, finches, and hawks—can be reported through the California West Nile Virus dead-bird reporting program.

Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci)

Psittacosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease associated with birds. Human infection most commonly occurs after inhaling dust containing dried respiratory secretions or droppings from infected birds. Although classically associated with parrots, C. psittaci can infect other bird species as well.

Minimize aerosolization of dried droppings and secretions. Do not shake contaminated towels or bedding indoors, and avoid dry sweeping heavily soiled material. Hand hygiene and appropriate cleaning reduce exposure.

Salmonella

Wild birds can carry Salmonella without appearing ill. People can become infected after touching birds, droppings, feeders, bird baths, or contaminated surfaces and then touching the mouth or food with unwashed hands. Wash hands after contact with wild birds or their environment, and keep wildlife-care equipment away from kitchens and food-preparation areas.

Practical Biosecurity

• Avoid direct contact with obviously sick or dead wild birds when possible.
• Wear disposable or washable gloves when handling a bird or a contaminated container.
• Keep found wild birds completely separate from pet birds and backyard poultry.
• Do not reuse towels, carriers, food bowls, or other equipment with domestic birds until they have been properly cleaned and disinfected.
• Wash hands thoroughly after contact with birds, droppings, feathers, bedding, or contaminated surfaces.
• Avoid eating, drinking, or preparing food while handling wildlife or cleaning contaminated equipment.
• Follow current wildlife-agency or public-health instructions if avian influenza or another reportable disease is suspected.

For a broader discussion of infections shared between animals and people, see Zoonotic Diseases.

7. Longer-Term Rehabilitation Housing

Longer-term housing is a rehabilitation decision, not simply a matter of putting the bird in the largest available cage. Enclosure size, perch type, visual barriers, substrate, water access, social grouping, predator avoidance, flight conditioning, and human exposure must all match the species and stage of recovery.

Rehabilitators deliberately minimize habituation and imprinting so that releasable birds retain normal fear of people and normal species behavior. Aquatic birds may eventually require specialized pools; raptors require appropriate perching and flight conditioning; small passerines require species-appropriate flight space. These facilities are usually introduced only after the bird is medically stable.

8. Release

Release should be performed by the permitted rehabilitator responsible for the bird. It is not determined simply by whether the bird can fly.

A releasable bird should be medically stable, in appropriate body condition, able to perform normal locomotion or flight, obtain natural food, avoid predators and people, thermoregulate normally, and display behavior appropriate for its species. Timing, weather, migration, social group, territory, habitat, and location must also be considered.

The original advice to consult an Audubon Society chapter or wildlife rescue group before release has therefore been replaced with direct referral to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator or appropriate wildlife agency.