
07/06/2025
✨UPDATED GUIDE✨ Does that young songbird need your help? If the bird is a fledgling, the answer is: probably not.
A fledgling is a bird who’s just left the nest. They don’t fly much at first and might seem small or scruffy, but this is normal. If they can stand or hop and are covered in feathers, they’re likely fine. Their parents are usually nearby foraging for food to feed them.
A young bird only needs a rescue if they’re naked or partly naked (that’s a nestling), obviously injured or very lethargic. In those cases, please bring the bird to a wildlife rehabber right away. Never provide any food or water.
If a fledgling is in the street or in a high-foot-traffic area, it’s OK to move them to a nearby bush or somewhere safer but only a few feet away! The parents must still be able to find them or the bird won’t survive.
**Pigeons are the exception. Pigeons stay in the nest a long 4 weeks and look almost like adults when they fledge. Usually if a pigeon looks too young to be out of the nest (short wings, short tail, fuzzy head), they are.**
We hope this guide will help you identify the most common songbird fledglings seen in NYC and beyond during spring and summer. Contact us if you’re not sure! We love to puzzle over bird photos. 🦤
And please donate to your local wildlife rehabbers! https://wbf.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/wbf/donation.jsp