How to Identify Baby Birds

Baby birds are sure to melt your heart. They seem so small, delicate, and incredibly vulnerable, especially if you happen to find one that has fallen from its nest. However, before getting too close, take a moment to observe from a distance. Identifying a baby bird not only helps determine its species and age but also decides whether it requires your help or not.

Check the feathers of the baby bird. Baby birds are classified as chicks or fledglings based on their age. Chicks are very small and lack a lot of feathers. Fledglings are older than chicks and have more feathers, but they haven't yet learned how to use their wings to fly.

• Chicks cannot leave the nest because they are unable to fly or perch steadily on branches.
• Chicks can't forage for food early on, meaning they are entirely dependent on their parents and must stay in the nest. Newly hatched sparrows and warblers resemble weak little chicks.
• Fledglings often appear somewhat scruffy.

Observe the behavior of the baby bird. If it is a fledgling, it may be hopping or running on the ground, as it has not yet learned to use its muscles and feathers to fly. It's also possible that the fledgling fell out of its nest because it became impatient about leaving and ended up falling instead of flying away gently.

• Although chicks cannot move on the ground, they will open their mouths wide for food and may even chirp if you don't feed them!

Place the chick back into its nest. Before attempting to identify the species of the baby bird, you should move it away from any danger, especially for a chick. If you can locate the nest where the chick fell from, gently pick it up (with your hands or a cloth) and return it to the nest. If you can't find the nest, create one yourself.

• To make a nest for the bird, line a shoebox or woven basket with dry grass or leaves. Place the temporary nest high off the ground with the baby bird inside and wait for the parents to return within an hour.
• If the parents don't return, start planning to take the baby bird to a wildlife rescue center.
• There is a belief that touching the baby bird will cause the parents to abandon it.
• If the baby bird feels cold when you touch it, warm it up in your palm before returning it to the nest (or the temporary nest you've made). When the parents return to the nest, they may push the cold baby bird aside to protect the eggs or other chicks from the cold.

Place the fledgling on a tree branch. Even though it fell from the nest, the fledgling doesn't need to return to it. Since fledglings can grip with their toes, extend your finger as a branch and use bird food to encourage the fledgling to perch on your finger. Once the bird grips your finger, gently place it on a bush or tree branch.

• If the fledgling refuses to perch on your finger, try using a cloth to gently wrap the bird and lift it up, placing it in a location away from the ground.
• If you place the fledgling back in the nest, it might fall out again.
• Fledglings need to be placed high off the ground to avoid predators.

Understanding that identifying the species of a baby bird is quite challenging. It is often difficult to determine the species of a baby bird. Baby birds don't look like their adult counterparts, especially in terms of feather color and length. Furthermore, the feather color and length of baby birds can change in just a few days, making identification even harder.

• Despite the difficulty, you should still make an effort to identify the species of the baby bird. When contacting a wildlife rescue center, providing this information will help the staff understand the species of the baby bird you bring to them.
• If you need to care for the baby bird before transferring it to a rescue center, provide basic support regardless of its species. For example, you can keep it warm by placing it in a shoebox lined with tissues (making sure to cut holes in the box lid) and place a heating pad on the 'low' setting under the box. You could also feed it.

Look at the baby bird's beak. Typically, a baby bird's beak appears large and disproportionate to its head size. This is because the head of the bird is not yet fully developed. Essentially, the head should align proportionally with the beak size.

Observe the length and color of the feathers. Baby birds often have short, fluffy, and messy feathers. Sometimes, the feather color of a baby bird may resemble that of its adult counterpart, especially on the wings and tail. However, most baby birds tend to have a pale feather color to help them blend in and avoid predators.

Identify other distinct external features. Bird species can have a wide variety of appearances. Look for additional external traits such as eye size, curved beaks, and sharp crests on the head. Keep in mind that recognizing these distinguishing features on a baby bird may be more challenging.

• The direction of the toes (how many face forward and how many face backward) can also help you identify the species.

Use image resources to identify the species of the baby bird. Take some pictures of the baby bird and spend time browsing online resources to see if you can identify the species. There are many helpful online resources, such as http://www.2ndchance.info/babybirdphotos.htmlm, which has a variety of baby bird images. The website http://www.babybirdid.com/ features a short quiz that can give you potential species based on your answers to the questions.

Observe the nest type to identify the species. If you locate the original nest of the chick or fledgling, you can identify the species by observing the nest characteristics. For example, sparrows build nests close to the ground, while finches nest in thick shrubs or dense bushes. Additionally, owls and finches will nest in tree cavities.

• You can also observe the structure of the nest. For instance, red-capped birds have cup-shaped nests, swallows make mud nests, and hummingbirds build nests from lichen and spider webs.
• There are many types of nests, so don't be discouraged if you can't identify the species based solely on the nest. Wildlife rescue experts can assist you in this process.

Determine if the baby bird needs your help. Generally, it’s best to leave the baby bird alone. Even if you don’t see the parents nearby, they are likely close and will return to the nest (or the ground) to feed the chick. However, if the baby bird shows signs of injury (e.g., a broken beak, missing or injured toes, or bite marks), you should take it to a veterinarian or wildlife rescue center.

• If the bird appears sick (e.g., cold or weak), it will need your help.
• If the baby bird has not been fed by its parents for an hour, it may require additional care. Keep in mind that parents might avoid the nest if you're too close. Stay at least 30 meters away.
• If the nest contains dead chicks, it has been abandoned. Any surviving chicks will need assistance.

Do not try to raise the baby bird. This is harder than it sounds! If you’re not a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, keeping a wild animal is illegal. Beyond legality, raising a wild baby bird is incredibly time-consuming since they need to be fed every 15 to 20 minutes.

• Even with the best of intentions, you may not be able to care for the bird better than its parents or a professional wildlife rescuer.

Contact a veterinarian or wildlife rescue center. If you choose to take the baby bird to a vet, look for one who specializes in birds or wildlife. If you're unsure where to find such veterinarians locally, you can ask at nearby zoos or wildlife protection organizations.

• You can find the nearest wildlife rescue center, both locally and internationally, by searching through directories like https://www.svw.vn/vi/.

Transporting a baby bird. To transport the baby bird safely, gently place it into a cardboard box or a ventilated shoebox. Line the bottom of the box with cloth to prevent the bird from sliding around. To minimize the risk of injury when handling the baby bird, wrap it in a cloth (covering its head and toes).

• You can also line the bottom of the box with tissue paper.
• Touch the bird as little as possible before moving it to reduce its stress.

• It can be difficult to tell the difference between a baby bird and a fledgling. If you're unsure whether it's a chick or a fledgling, reach out to a wildlife rescue center for guidance.
• Many fledglings are mistakenly brought to veterinary clinics or wildlife rescue centers after being rescued incorrectly.
• Typically, fledglings are fed by their parents while learning to fly on the ground.

• Wild birds, including baby birds, can spread diseases and cause serious injury.
• Chicks found on the ground have a lower chance of survival due to predators like raccoons, small carnivores, and even house cats.
• Returning a baby bird to its nest might not be successful, especially if it’s been displaced by adverse conditions (e.g., a fallen nest due to bad weather, or bullying from other aggressive birds).