Buzz
As a child, our living room had French doors that opened onto a back deck, with a pine tree towering above. It was a haven for countless birds. Baby birds often fell from their nests onto the deck, where they’d lay there crying as my brother and I sat on the floor, watching TV. Our parents always warned us never to try and help these birds, no matter how long they were there, because our scent would make their parents reject them.
Some of these fledglings managed to gather themselves and return to their nests. Others were carried off by neighborhood cats. A few were swooped up by hawks (and, once, I watched as one was eaten). Regardless of their fate, my brother and I always followed our mother’s instructions.
Looking back now, I feel guilty about that. It turns out my mom’s advice wasn’t quite accurate.
The Scent of a Human
Birds don't easily abandon their young because of the “smell of humans.” For one, birds don’t have an advanced sense of smell. Their olfactory bulbs are small and basic compared to other animals (although this wasn’t always the case, and there are exceptions, such as the turkey vulture, albatross, and kiwi), so they won’t be able to isolate your scent from all the other smells surrounding them.
Even if they could detect your scent and associate it with something negative, they wouldn’t just leave. You wouldn’t abandon your home and kids at the slightest hint of danger, would you? Even if you didn’t have much attachment, you’ve already invested time in painting the living room and dealing with the dirty diapers, right? Birds make the same logical decision. They’ve spent a lot of energy raising their young and aren’t going to just abandon them without a good reason. If you mess with a nest before the eggs are laid or before the chicks hatch, a bird might choose a different spot, but once the babies arrive, they’re not going anywhere.
Rescue Efforts
So, clearly, my mother wasn’t a bird expert, and she’s not your mom, so feel free to disregard her advice. (Kind of. Let me clarify.)
You’re likely to come across two types of baby birds on the ground: nestlings and fledglings. Nestlings are still featherless or covered in fuzz and are too young to leave the nest. Fledglings, on the other hand, have their feathers and are old enough to venture out of the nest and onto the ground, taking their first steps away from home with their parents keeping a close eye on them.
Fledglings should be left alone. They’ll typically spend a few days on the ground outside their nest until their flying skills are developed enough for independence. If there’s a fledgling near your home and you’re concerned about predators, ask your neighbors to keep their cats inside. Hawks? Well, that’s just nature taking its course.
Nestlings, however, may need a bit of assistance. Pick them up gently and return them to the nest, and their parents won’t mind if they carry a hint of human scent. What you shouldn’t do is take the little ones inside and try to raise them yourself. Sure, you’re at the top of the food chain, intelligent and civilized, but you’re not a bird. You’ll make a terrible bird mom.
