15/09/2026
🐦 Found a baby bird? Here’s what to do.
When we find a tiny bird on the ground, our first instinct is often to help, and while that comes from the best place, the kindest thing you can usually do is leave the baby bird where it is.
Many baby birds you see on the ground are fledglings. They may look helpless, but they are often learning to fly and their parents are nearby, watching and feeding them. Taking them away can actually separate them from the care they need most.
If the bird is out in the open or somewhere unsafe, you can gently move it to a safer spot close to where you found it.
You can make a simple little safe space using:
- An empty ice cream container or takeaway tub
- Line it with a small towel, or add some twigs
- Place it somewhere sheltered and safe, close to the ground
- If appropriate, you can position it up on a low branch where other animals are less likely to find it
The important thing is not to move the bird far away. Its parents are likely nearby and need to be able to find it.
We know everyone wants to do the right thing. It can be incredibly tempting to pick up a baby bird and take it straight to the vet. But unless the bird is injured, sick or in immediate danger, the best care it can receive is usually from its own parents, right where it was found.
If the bird is visibly injured or you know it has been attacked by a cat or other animal, that's different, it needs professional help.
So before picking up a baby bird, take a moment, look around and ask: Does this little one actually need rescuing, or does it just need a safe place to continue growing up?
Sometimes, the best way to help is simply to leave them where they belong. 🐦🌿❤️
Please share this to help spread the word, you might just save a baby bird from being unintentionally taken away from its family.