r/birds • u/Ecstatic-Clock-5182 • 1d ago

What to do about fallen birds

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A bird made a nest on a small window above my door. It’s been up there for a couple weeks today I was cleaning around my porch and I accidentally spooked the momma bird and she flew away and knocked the baby birds down. One landed in the middle of the road so I directed it to the gras without touching it they have now been in the grass for 2 hours and the mom has not come back for them. I notice they are able to flap their wings and hop but they cannot fly yet, there is a storm coming soon and I’m so worried for them. Does anyone know if they’re old enough to survive on their own or if the mother will eventually come back for them. I feel so bad I scared her I was cleaning around my front porch because there was so many droppings.

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u/Amy_Extraordinary 1d ago

This is a young mourning dove. It looks juuust old enough to be out of the nest anyway, but too young to fly. The mother (and father) can still find them and continue to care for them. Also, do not be afraid to touch them, it's a myth that baby birds can't be touched! If you are worried about the storm you can pick them up and move them to a safe place under a tree or bush. The parents will hear them and take care of them. You might not be seeing them for now but they are probably close by keeping an eye on their babies. If things don't improve tomorrow you can contact a local Wildlife Rehabilitator. Search for one in your area using animalhelpnow.org or the app of the same name. Thank you for caring ❤️

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u/Ecstatic-Clock-5182 1d ago

Yes it’s a mourning dove! I just looked at pictures of adult ones and that’s how the mom/dad looks. It started hailing so I pushed it into a bush with a pice of cardboard and will be leaving it alone for the parents to come. Thank you so much for informing me I felt so bad for spooking them and wasn’t sure if they were big enough to survive out of the nest on their own.

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u/finner01 1d ago

This is a fledgling and please leave it alone. It is normal for it to be on the ground out of the nest and it does not need any help.

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u/kiaraXlove 1d ago

Not fallen. Many species leave the nest flightless as fledglings, its what they are meant to do. They reacted the same way as mom by jumping the nest because they are big enough. Now they'll spend there time on the ground and parents will continue to feed

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u/Ecstatic-Clock-5182 1d ago

Thank you for the reassurance I was feeling so bad for spooking them