Please don’t ‘birdnap’

By Jacobbe McBride for the RSPCA

As spring rolls on, it is important that we refrain from displacing healthy baby birds from their natural habitats due to what we perceive as an ailment or weakness.

The RSPCA is seeing a very high number of baby birds in their Wildlife Hospital, one veterinary nurse commented saying more than any other animal at present.

During the warmer months, there is an increase in the number of baby birds being ‘birdnapped’ by concerned members of the public and brought in for care. This could be for any number of reasons, however, one of the most common is that the baby bird was seen walking on the ground rather than flying.

During their infancy, birds must learn how to walk before they are able to fly. It is natural behaviour for them to roam around on the ground, finding their feet before they spread their wings.

In the instance where a bird has been displaced from its nest but appears in good health, there is an opportunity for us to pop the bird back in its nest where it belongs. Baby birds have a very high chance of survival when they are reunited with their parents after being displaced.

To try to reunite the baby bird with its parents, place the bird on a low branch in a bush and watch to see if the parents come to feed it.