Save Sick, Injured, & Orphaned Birds - California

Baby bird season for 2025 has finally slowed to a trickle here in Southern California. The season started late this year and is ending late. Certain birds, like pigeons and doves, nest and produce young year-round here, but the songbird types are usually done for the season by Labor Day. This year we are still getting in Pin-Tailed Whydah fledglings, but even those are becoming fewer. So, with the end of baby season in sight, let’s review some of the things that happened this year. We can learn from them and be better prepared for our next close encounters of the bird kind!

First and foremost, if you encounter a bird of any kind or any age that appears to be sick, injured, orphaned, or an escaped domestic bird, get the bird safely confined in a box, paper bag, wrapped in a towel, t-shirt, or in your bare hands if possible. Get creative and think outside that box that you may not have handy. Safe means confined and inside and not just left in an open box outside. Obviously, take your own safety into consideration. There are birds that can hurt you. Please don’t just leave the bird and assume that it will be OK or that someone else is going to help. If you are the first responder, so to speak, then it’s up to you. Once you have the bird safe, then it’s time to take pictures and post on social media or start making calls for added help. If you make a mistake and a wild bird you rescued is ok, it can always be put back where it was found. Domestic/exotic birds should never be left to fend for themselves or be put back outside.

Let’s go ahead and do away with a few popular misconceptions that often stop people from helping a bird they have met. These were the top misconceptions this year.

• If a human touches a baby bird, the bird parents will reject the baby. Absolutely not true.
• It’s illegal to help a wild bird. Absolutely not true. In the state of California, anyone can legally aid a sick, injured, or orphaned wild bird. If the bird is a native species of bird, it becomes illegal if you don’t get the bird to a licensed wildlife facility within 48 hours. It IS absolutely illegal to keep a native species wild bird and try to raise it yourself unless you have the required state and federal permits to do so.
• Parent birds can pick their babies up off the ground and carry them back to the nest. Absolutely not true.
• Parent birds can fix broken bones and wounds that their babies have. Absolutely not true.
• Letting nature take its course is the best decision. That’s a tough one to argue with, but if you are there and there’s a chance to save the bird, then you need to let your conscience be your guide.

Let’s move on to the case where you’ve decided to help. We now need to know if you have a hatchling, a nestling, a fledgling, or an adult bird in order to provide proper temporary care. In all cases, you need to provide a soft substrate in whatever container you are using for the bird. An old T-shirt works great for this. It provides something soft to rest on, something to grip for traction, helps avoid injury to the bird during transport, and also helps provide warmth to hatchlings and nestlings that cannot yet regulate their body temperature.

Hatchling: Naked or sparse fuzz, eyes closed, completely helpless. Zero chance of survival on its own. Supplemental heat is essential.

Nestling: Some feathers starting, eyes open, should still be in the nest and is completely dependent on the parent birds. Zero chance of survival on its own. Supplemental heat is likely to be needed.

Fledgling: Has most of the feathers and has left the nest. Can fly some, but not well, and is still not completely self-sufficient. Won’t survive without the parents or adult flock members providing supplemental feeding and coaching on how to survive.

Adult: Bird is completely feathered, able to fly, and is self-sufficient. Unless sick or injured, it is completely capable of surviving on its own. Obviously, it’s sick or injured or both, or you wouldn’t be trying to help it. Unlikely to survive without your help.

Native VS Non-Native: This could be called “when is a sparrow not a sparrow”. While an English House Sparrow IS a sparrow, it’s a non-native sparrow in the United States. Song Sparrows, White Crowned Sparrows, and others are native species of sparrows. Eurasian Collared Doves are non-native. Mourning Doves are native. It’s crazy and confusing, but it makes a HUGE difference in where these birds can be cared for. Native species have to go to facilities that have the required state and federal permits for them. Non-natives can come to us or to other rescues that do not hold the state and federal permits needed for native birds. How do you know what species of bird and whether the bird is native or non-native? If the bird you are trying to help is a species listed as protected in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, it’s a native species. There are more than 1000 species of protected birds listed in the MBTA. If you don’t know the species of bird, you can take a picture and use Google Lens or the Merlin Bird ID app to identify it or just send a picture to the rescue you are talking to. It’s a lot easier to know which birds are not protected. Here in Southern California, the commonly found species of wild non-native birds are English House Sparrows, European Starlings, Feral Pigeons, Eurasian Collared Doves, Wild Parrots, Japanese White Eyes, Nutmeg Mannikins, and Pin_Tailed Whydahs.

For native species of wild birds, contact your closest licensed wildlife facility and make arrangements to drop off the bird for care. In the case of non-native wild birds, some licensed wildlife facilities will take them, but most do not. Your local wildlife center should be able to direct you to a rescue in your area that takes non-native wild birds. Your local animal services agency may also be able to aid you with referrals to a local rescue. If you are in Southern California, we (Avian Underdogs Rescue Association), are your friendly, local, non-native wild bird rescue. We also rescue domestic and exotic birds.

Thank you for all your support over the years. We are extremely grateful and hope that you will continue to support us and our efforts.

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Well, that's not the motto of the US Postal Service (they don't have a motto), but it could well be the motto of our beloved transporters! Our organization could not function and save the number of lives that we do without the help of our transport volunteers. They are a key element in our ability to serve not only birds in need in Southern California but also the people who are desperately seeking help for a bird that they have found or a bird that is facing euthanasia in an animal shelter. Transporters are often the last resort for a bird to obtain the help it needs. Kudos to all of our transporters who give freely of their time, donate the wear and tear on their vehicles, and who are only compensated for their gas expense. With gas at around $4.60 a gallon in our area, it’s only fair that we pay for gas. Some of our transporters accept no compensation at all, but for the transporters that are doing 100+ mile transports on a regular basis, we insist that they accept gas compensation.

During the first two weeks of June this year, we took in 73 birds. Many of these birds required the services of our transporters. Let’s take a look at a few of the birds that were saved by transporters during this two-week period. Not all of the transport birds have photos in this report because there are more birds than the number of photos allowed

June 3: Old German Owl pigeon from Santa Barbara Wildlife Care. The pigeon was injured and nursed back to health by the wildlife center. The wildlife center provided this transport after a local adoption fell through on them. Transport miles: 300

June 3: Pigeons from Victorville and Hesperia. One pigeon is a domestic Roller pigeon and the other is a feral pigeon with both legs badly broken. The birds have received veterinary care. Transport miles: 210 and about 7 hours travel time due to bad weather and bad traffic.

June 6: Baby pigeon from Las Vegas. A band that had been playing at a casino in Las Vegas was packing up to head back to Los Angeles when a baby pigeon fell from the rafters of the loading dock bay. The band didn’t blink an eye. Just scooped up the baby pigeon and brought it back to Los Angeles on the tour bus. Once in LA, one of our transporters picked it up and brought it to us. Las Vegas to Los Angeles on the tour bus was about 280 miles. Los Angeles to us was another 130 mile round trip. Total transport miles: 410.

June 6: A juvenile starling was cat caught and injured. Some kind folks at a business in Anaheim rescued the bird and were keeping it safe, but since nobody could leave work to bring it to us, another rescue offered to transport as they would be passing by the location. Transport miles: 25.

June 6: A young pigeon had been observed just sitting on the sidewalk in front of a business in a strip mall in Tustin for an entire day. Finally, a kind lady called to seek assistance for the bird. She did not live in the area and had to leave to return home. A plea when out for a volunteer to go look for the pigeon. The pigeon was found and brought to us for care. This was a middle of the night operation, by the way. Transport miles: 35

June 9: Numerous reports of domestic pigeons trying to survive in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach were received right after Memorial Day. Sadly, some ceremonial releases of white “doves” had been done over the holiday, and the birds were lost and unable to make it home, assuming they even had a home. Please, people, don’t do ceremonial releases of any living creature. It’s a death sentence for them. Rescue volunteers spent many days and hours trying to capture these birds and get them to safety. Mission accomplished on June 9! 8 young pigeons were rescued. Transport miles: 40

June 11: A juvenile Eurasian Collared Dove was taken to the local wildlife center. Since non-native species of birds are not able to be kept there, a kind volunteer at the center took the bird home and transported it to us the next day. Transport miles: 42

June 11: A beautiful white pigeon with some kind of dark colored “gunk” on its head and neck was hanging around on the patio of a residence in West Hills. Clearly, the bird was lost and had zeroed in on this residence as a safe spot to stay. The kind homeowner contacted us, volunteers were dispatched to help catch the pigeon and bring it to us. The “gunk” was something akin to roofing tar and was successfully removed. Transport miles: 160.

June 12: We were contacted by the East Valley Animal Shelter in Van Nuys about a beautiful Roller pigeon that was facing imminent euthanasia. The pigeon had an identification leg band with full contact information for the owner. Sadly, the owner did not respond to the shelter’s calls to please come and retrieve his bird. We welcomed this pigeon to our “flock” that very day. Transport miles: 150

June 13: A young feral pigeon was found injured in the yard of a kind lady in Rialto. The bird was unable to stand and was presumed to have collided with a window while trying to escape a predator. The resident had no transportation available and contacted us for assistance with the bird. Our Rialto area transport team leapt in action, picked up the bird, and delivered it to us in short order. The bird has since made a full recovery. Transport miles: 125

June 14: The Inland Valley Humane Society in Pomona received a feral pigeon with a seriously damaged eye and had provided veterinary care for the bird during its stay at the shelter. When the retention time was up and there was no adoption interest, this bird was also facing certain euthanasia. The rescue coordinator at the shelter contacted us, and the rest is history. We dispatched a transport volunteer, and the bird is now safe in our care. Transport miles: 85

June 14: Yes, June 14 was a busy transport day. A plea from the East Valley Animal Shelter in Van Nuys came in for two domestic pigeons. that were definitely going to be euthanized if not rescued immediately. One was a beautiful white and black pigeon with both legs broken and already calcified in a very bad way. The other pigeon was a gorgeous red pigeon with a damaged right eye. Both pigeons are receiving veterinary care. And, to make this transport truly eventful, a call came in for four baby pigeons in El Monte who had been evicted from their nest and left on the ground to fend for themselves. A kind lady picked them up and contacted us for assistance. Our transporter made a detour on the way here to pick them up. Transport miles: 160

Our transporters logged 1,742 miles during this 14 day timeframe. We are so grateful for their time and kindness in providing the lifesaving rides that these birds needed!

Thank you to all of you who so generously donate to Avian Underdogs Rescue Association. We couldn’t do what we do without your support. We hope that you will support us again in the upcoming GlobalGiving Bonus Day fundraiser which will start at 7 AM Pacific Time on July 16 and run until 7 AM Pacific Time on July 17. Please watch our social media accounts for all the details.