How to Help Chicks and Fledglings This Breeding Season

In the United States and Canada, summer is the peak of the bird breeding season. Both countries serve as bird nurseries for hundreds of migratory and resident species at this time of year. It’s an inherently risky time for birds, and most chicks won’t survive to reach adulthood. Human-caused pressures from habitat loss, invasive species, collisions with glass, pesticide use, and other threats make the nesting and fledging season even riskier.

With a loss of nearly 3 billion birds in North America since 1970, supporting birds during the breeding season and beyond is incredibly important. Learning when and how to intervene when young birds are in need and providing safe habitat throughout the year will help the bird parents who are raising their chicks near you.

In general, it is best to leave a baby bird alone unless it’s in immediate danger. Helping a young bird — especially one that is learning how to fly — is a very delicate situation. Much like a child learning to ride a bike, a fledgling’s first attempted flight isn’t always successful, but a parent is often keeping a watchful eye on it. But there are times when very young birds need assistance. Here’s how to gauge whether a young bird needs a helping hand.

Is the chick almost fully feathered, looking a little grumpy and rumpled, but able to hop on the ground? Unless you observe an injury or immediate danger, assume this juvenile bird is fine. It may look helpless, but its parents are likely nearby and keeping an eye on it. No intervention is needed unless the bird has landed in a dangerous area such as a sidewalk or on asphalt, or if a predator is visible nearby. If you’ve found a young bird that needs to be moved out of harm’s way, you can gently pick it up by cupping both hands around its body and relocate it to a grassy spot, ideally with shade and vegetation, not more than a few feet away. Always be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling a bird.

Is the chick lacking feathers? A baby bird without feathers is a nestling that relies on a parent to keep it warm. If you can access the nest, approach from behind to avoid startling the nestling, gently pick it up, place it in the nest, and watch from a distance for the parents’ return.

If you aren’t able to locate or reach the nest, the bird will have the best chance at survival if it reaches a wildlife rehabilitator quickly. Gently set it in a small paper bag and secure the bag with a binder clip or clothespin. A small box will also do. Keep it warm — place a hot water bottle or hand warmer wrapped in a towel, or a heated rice wrap, next to the baby bird. Do not feed or provide water. Visit Animal Help Now (ahnow.org) to locate a rehabilitator who has the proper permits, training, and facilities to help the animal.

Is the bird injured? Obvious injuries, drooping wings, inability to raise and flutter wings, shivering, and weakness are signs of distress in chicks. As with a very young nestling, approach from behind, carefully cup your hands around the bird, place it in a paper bag or box, and keep it warm until you can bring it to a rehabilitator — the sooner, the better. Do not provide food or water.

These same principles apply to adult songbirds in distress. An adult bird that collides with a window will often appear stunned and may sit very still with one or both eyes swollen shut or bulging, breathe or pant through an open beak, have blood on its beak, or show balance abnormalities like lying on its back or side. Birds that collide with windows need care from a certified wildlife rehabilitator. Use Animal Help Now (ahnow.org) to locate and contact a professional near you.

Beyond lending a helping hand when a fledgling or nestling is in immediate need, you can help young birds around you have a strong start in life by reducing threats and providing the resources birds need to thrive. These actions benefit birds of any age, all throughout the year.

This advice is relevant at any time. Birds recognize free-roaming pets as natural predators, and their presence near nests can cause stress to chicks and adult birds. Keeping curious pets clear of fledglings when they’re learning to fly is essential.

Practice and advocate for treating cats like dogs — that is, providing safe and enriching places for pet felines to live full-time indoors, or supervised and contained outdoors using a harness, backpack, or “catio.” Learn about other simple actions you can take to protect birds on our Cats Indoors page.

Collisions with glass are a major human-caused threat to young and adult birds alike, killing more than one billion individuals annually in the United States alone. Because birds see differently than we do, glass poses a serious risk, especially when vegetation or other habitat is reflected in or visible through its surface. From tape to screens and films, there are many effective, easy-to-install, and inexpensive solutions to help reduce bird–window collisions. A great place to start to figure out which solution is best for your home is ABC’s database of collision prevention products.

Manicured lawns just don’t cut it for birds. Sure, you may see an American Robin stop by. But to attract a variety of birds, look for opportunities at your home, school, or business to replace grass with native flowers, shrubs, and trees that support birds as well as the insects necessary for birds’ survival. Native plants can give back to birds all year-round, producing nutritious berries, seeds, and nuts that sustain resident birds through the winter and provide shelter. Access to nutrient-rich food is essential for birds raising healthy chicks.

One quick method to grow native plants in place of grass: Cover grass with cardboard or several pages of newspaper, layer on several inches of soil mixed with compost, and plant! No lawn? No problem. Container gardens on an apartment patio or balcony can provide a boost for birds. The plants you should use will vary based on where you live, the amount of light, soil moisture, and other factors, but our list of native plants to attract birds can serve as inspiration for your garden plans!

Pesticides can have both immediate and long-term negative impacts on birds visiting or breeding in your yard. Even though advertising can make common pesticides seem appealing and harmless, by applying them to your garden, you’re likely to harm much more than the pests you’re targeting, potentially eliminating important food sources for birds. Neonicotinoids (or neonics) — the most widely used insecticides globally — are used as seed coatings and found in products like insect sprays. One seed coated with neonics is enough to kill a songbird, and even less can harm a bird’s reproduction. To weed your garden, use your own elbow grease or natural alternatives to chemical-based options.

Where it’s practical to do so, leave sticks and leaf litter on the ground. A completely clear lawn doesn’t provide much cover for birds, especially young ones learning to fly. Brush piles can shelter birds from predators and inclement weather. A less tidy yard will help create a nutritious layer of compost that enriches the soil. Plant matter also provides the building blocks of bird nests and promotes foraging activity. The longer birds forage in your yard, the longer you get to enjoy them. So, when the time to rake rolls around, resist the urge!

You can “plant” a large dead branch in your garden or leave some dead branches in living trees (sometimes called snags) to provide lookout points for birds. You may be surprised how quickly hummingbirds, flycatchers, and other birds adopt these “stick” perches, which help them watch for predators, competitors, and food sources. Cavity-nesting birds, including woodpecker, chickadee, and owl species, also rely on snags to breed.

You can support birds whether you have a yard or not, and not just during the nesting season. The migratory birds that hatch in your neighborhood this summer will soon be making their long journeys south. Consider purchasing bird-friendly coffee, which is grown using techniques that conserve and enhance bird habitat on many migratory species’ nonbreeding grounds in Central and South America. Limiting the amount of plastic you use also helps birds and their habitats. You can also use your voice to become a powerful advocate for birds and encourage your elected officials to support bird conservation efforts.