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If you're outside a lot during the summer months, sooner or later you may stumble upon a seemingly helpless, abandoned baby bird on the ground. If you decide to take in and raise this baby bird, you will have to prepare to release it when it when it gets older.



  1. 1
    Be sure that it can fly. Before it can be released, your baby bird has to be able to fly. When your baby bird is fully feathered (a fledgling), it should be moved to a cage with perches where it can practice by hopping from perch to perch. The fledgling should also be let out of the cage where it can take short flights. Don't worry about the baby bird flying away; it will return when it's hungry and wants you to feed it.
  2. 2
    Ensure that your fledgling knows how to feed itself. Once the fledgling is able to fly, it should also begin to feed itself. You can still feed it, but begin putting small dishes of food and water in the bird's cage. Make sure the food you put in are things that the fledgling would be eating in the wild. Feed the bird from the dish, and after a couple of times, it should be pecking at the food out of curiosity. Begin feeding it less and less once it does this and the soon the bird should begin to eat on its own.
  3. 3
    Teach him how to hunt and forage. Different species of bird eat different foods, so depending on your type of bird, it will have to be taught how to hunt and forage for different foods.
  4. 4
    Familiarize your bird with its species. If you are raising two birds of the same species this should be fine, but if you're only raising one, it will need to be taught the songs and behaviors of its kind. This is very important to learn, because birds use many different signals to indicate things such as danger. To teach a baby bird the songs and other sounds its species uses, you can look for recordings, although your bird will still need to learn from other real birds of its species.

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  • How do I know if a bird is a girl or boy?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Male and female birds often have different coloring or feather sizes. Look at images online of both genders and compare them with the bird in question. If you cannot tell, take the bird to a vet to determine the gender.
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  • It is ideal for you to take your baby bird to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. They are trained to handle wild animals and will be more likely to release your bird successfully. To locate a wildlife rehabber: http://www.wildliferehabber.org/
  • Be patient. It may take a while for your baby bird to learn and adjust.


  • All native songbirds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is ILLEGAL to keep any wild birds as pets except for House Sparrows, Starlings, and Pigeons.
  • Do NOT release a bird if it's been imprinted on you. A bird that has imprinted on you, or thinks that you are its species will not survive in the wild.
  • Even with hard work and care, there is a good chance your baby bird will die. It is hard to survive in the wild, and it is even harder for a human-raised bird to survive in the wild. For this reason, see the tip above about finding a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

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Categories: Animal Rescue

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