Most baby birds need to be left alone.
Most of the time, the best thing to do is leave the bird alone. Most baby birds people find do not need help at all.
Baby birds come in two kinds. Look at the bird first. What it looks like tells you what to do.
No feathers yet, or its eyes are still closed.
This bird is too young to be out of the nest. It still belongs in one.
It has feathers. It can hop and flutter, but it cannot fly well yet.
This bird does not need help. Leaving the nest and spending time on the ground is a normal stage. Its parents are nearby and still feeding it.
A fledgling on the ground is learning — not lost.
“Don’t worry, your scent won’t deter the parents.”
— U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Touching a baby bird does not make its parents abandon it. That story is a myth. So if a nestling needs to go back in its nest, it is safe to pick it up gently and put it back.
Most baby birds are fine. But a bird with one of these signs truly needs help:
Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
That is the person trained and permitted to help wild birds. Call the rehabilitator first, before you pick the bird up.
The law does allow you to pick up a sick, injured, or orphaned migratory bird — but only to carry it straight to a permitted rehabilitator.
Do NOT try to feed the bird or give it water. Call a professional instead.
Most birds are protected by law. Helping an injured or orphaned bird get better takes permits, training, and approved facilities. Most states require permits, and many birds require federal permits too.
Never keep a wild bird, and never try to nurse one yourself. The kind thing — and the legal thing — is to hand it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, “What to do if you find a baby bird, injured or orphaned wildlife,” at fws.gov. Checked November 2026.
This page is general information only.