The bird should be brought to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, who can care for it properly and has experience with injured wildlife. Call us, and we will put you in contact with one.

Possession of almost all wild birds requires a federal permit, making it illegal for all except rehabilitators to keep and raise them. The only birds in New England that are not protected are Starlings, Pigeons, and House Sparrows.

Call the state Department of Environmental Management 24-hour numbers, 277-2284 or 277-3070, if you have trouble reaching a rehabilitator. Please call us back if you do not receive a satisfactory response from DEM. If there will be a delay of more than 2 hours in getting the bird to a rehabilitator, you can try feeding it canned cat or dog food. Be careful! Young birds do not need water and giving it to them may kill them. Adult birds, however, do need water. Note: Wildlife rehabilitation is often a 17+ hour a day job, especially in the warm weather. Please be advised that there are very few, if any, rehabbers that will come and get wildlife. They simply cannot. If you choose to intervene in the interest of an injured wild bird, you will likely be required to transport the animal at the instruction of rehabilitator, within the limits of the law.

If you find a fallen nest with eggs or young, determine where it came from and replace it. The nest can be tied to the tree with string. If the original nest was destroyed, a berry box or plastic bowl lined with cloth and with a few drain holes punched in the bottom can replace it. Put the new nest as close as possible to the original site.

If you find a baby bird out of its nest, don't automatically assume that it is in trouble and needs to be rescued. Sometimes young birds leave or fall out of the nest because of some disturbance before they are fully capable of flight and are able to fend for themselves. These young birds are often not abandoned. In many cases, the parent bird will respond to the cries of the baby bird, keeping it fed and protected while it is learning to find its own food and developing the ability to fly.

The best response to a baby bird out of its nest is to leave it alone while keeping dogs and cats away. A baby bird that has been 'rescued' by a well-meaning human should be returned to where it was found and placed out of harm's way, in a place where its parents can readily locate it (such as a nearby bush). Handling by humans will NOT discourage parental care, as with some animal species. If dogs and cats are a problem, it is better to control them or talk to their owners than to remove the bird from its habitat to protect it.

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