Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release

Pinkie
A Pinkie is an unfeathered bird (1-4 days old) and should be placed back in the original nest with its siblings. You cannot make a make-shift nest for a single pinkie because it needs to stay warm and the mother bird cannot keep two separate nests warm. A single pinkie would need to be replaced in the original nest, or brought in to one of our song-bird rehabilitators. If you find an entire nest of pinkies down, you could use a make-shift nest (see directions below) and then the mother bird would be able to keep them all warm. She would also be so glad to have her babies back in her care and we would be glad to see them back in the wild where they belong.

Nestling
Nestlings are fully feathered baby birds who are still in the nest. These birds are between 4-14 days old. If you find one or more of these baby birds, please make them a make-shift nest (below) in order to reunite them with their parents, and keep them in the wild. Nestlings should be brought to a song-bird rehabilitator ONLY if they are injured, orphaned or cat caught.

Fledgling
Fledglings are those birds who are beginning to fledge. This means that they are taking their first flights and are often found hopping around on the ground. They are between 14-28 day old. These birds are at their most vulnerable stage of life, and may be on the ground for up to 3 days, They appear fat, sleepy, slow, not afraid of people yet, and are the most over rescued of all song-birds.

In nature, only about 1/2 of all fledglings make it to adulthood. Fledglings should only be rescued if they are injured or cat caught. Otherwise, they need to be left alone. We recommend that you bring children and pets indoors for a few days. Fledglings are easily identified by the length of their tail. If its tail is 2 inches or longer, it has probably already left the nest.

To construct a make-shift nest, use a container such as a plastic tub, a basket, or a box, that is just small enough for the parent birds to enter, yet large enough that the babies will not fall out. Poke drainage holes in the bottom and line the tub with the fallen nest if you have it or dry leaves. You can also use paper towels, but only if you are sure the nest will not get wet. You can use tight weave cloth, like a pillow case, for bedding under birds as well.