Little, Green, Minnow-Eating Machine!

A lot of the babies that come into VINS Wildlife Services are considered “abducted, healthy” nestlings or fledglings. These are the birds that have been well-cared for by the bird parents, but who a human figured was injured because the youngster wasn’t in a nest. It’s an easy mistake to make, as it can be difficult to discern whether a young bird on the ground needs help. Often times, however, a baby bird on the ground just needs to be re-nested or is simply fledging — meaning the bird is trying out his wings, and doesn’t quite have the whole flying thing down.

We use the term “abducted” as essentially a bird was stolen, or bird-napped, from its proper habitat. However, we realize that people are just trying to do the right thing and help an animal, and there’s no maliciousness involved in the bird’s “abduction.” For more info on when to rescue a baby bird and when to leave it alone, read our Baby Bird Facts.

The American kestrel featured in the video above is considered an “abducted” nestling. He was found sitting on a family’s front porch. When brought in for examination, Wildlife Services’ staff deemed the bird in good health — a bird who should have been re-nested with its siblings and parents. Since the bird is healthy and since it’s always best to have the proper parents for a baby bird, we are going to try to re-nest the kestrel with another group of baby kestrels known to be nesting on a local man’s property. As long as the birds are the same age, the mother and father kestrel should accept the newbie as their own.