Fledglings

Many fledglings are brought into us unneccessarily each year. If you find a fledgling and it appears healthy please leave it alone. Its mum will be nearby.

Injured wildlife Should be taken to your nearest veterinary practice.

I’ve found a fledgling, what should I do?…

The babies of most garden birds leave the nest just before they can fly. They are almost fully feathered and will try to hide in undergrowth where they are fed by their parents. Within a day of leaving the nest they can usually fly enough to escape predators and keep up with their parents who will continue to feed them.

As this is usually the case the advice is to leave these birds well alone only moving them, or encouraging them to move a short distance to safety if they are in immediate danger.

Nestlings – these are baby birds that only have limited number of feathers – are different in that they are totally dependent on the security of the nest and will not fare at all well if left. If a nestling is found it will need to be contained in a well ventilated cardboard box. Then contact the RSPCA National Cruelty telephone line on 0300 1234 999 , your local RSPCA animal centre or take the bird directly to a local vet. Never try to replace these birds into nests as this may disturb the other babies and may also be illegal. Never try to rear baby birds yourself as they need specialist care if they are to survive in the wild.

Caution:- Handling of any animal either domestic, wild, dead or alive may be potentially hazardous. Obvious dangers include bites, scratches and general hygiene issues. Common sense should be applied in all instances and if unsure additional advice or assistance should be sought

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