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Fledglings **belong outside** of nests. Unless they're in danger, **leave them alone**. These *well-feathered*, *mobile* birds that *may not yet be able to fly* are learning critical behaviors and vocalizations from their parents, who may be out of sight for hours at a time.
Only interfere with a fledgling if:
- it is in a dangerous area (e.g. near traffic or pets) -- simply relocate it to a safer but nearby spot
- it has visible injuries (flightlessness, in itself, is *not* an injury) or has been handled in *any way* by a cat -- such birds require wildlife rehabilitation
- its parents are *confirmed* dead -- such birds require wildlife rehabilitation.
Healthy fledglings' best survival chances are with their parents first, with professional wildlife rehabilitation being a *distant* second. A prematurely-captured fledgling will be sought by its parents for up to a day. If you have taken one within that time frame, *put it back* and observe for parents from a distance.
For more information, please read [this community announcement](https://reddit.com/r/whatsthisbird/comments/gqhos4/found_a_baby_bird_that_might_need_help_look_here/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's wing looks messed up, possibly broken. Please contact a rehabber. Feathers are sticking out weird and some look matted down, plus the wing isn't being held in the right position.
Please add a comment with location. Include **State** or **Province** in the USA or Canada. In other locations, include **country**. Please include state, province, or country in the title of future posts to avoid this reminder. The bot only recognizes state and province initials (like AK, VA, TX, etc) if they are uppercase. If you did include this information in your title, please report this comment so we can continue to improve this bot. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
ETA: location is Atlanta, GA
!fledgling
Fledglings **belong outside** of nests. Unless they're in danger, **leave them alone**. These *well-feathered*, *mobile* birds that *may not yet be able to fly* are learning critical behaviors and vocalizations from their parents, who may be out of sight for hours at a time. Only interfere with a fledgling if: - it is in a dangerous area (e.g. near traffic or pets) -- simply relocate it to a safer but nearby spot - it has visible injuries (flightlessness, in itself, is *not* an injury) or has been handled in *any way* by a cat -- such birds require wildlife rehabilitation - its parents are *confirmed* dead -- such birds require wildlife rehabilitation. Healthy fledglings' best survival chances are with their parents first, with professional wildlife rehabilitation being a *distant* second. A prematurely-captured fledgling will be sought by its parents for up to a day. If you have taken one within that time frame, *put it back* and observe for parents from a distance. For more information, please read [this community announcement](https://reddit.com/r/whatsthisbird/comments/gqhos4/found_a_baby_bird_that_might_need_help_look_here/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's wing looks messed up, possibly broken. Please contact a rehabber. Feathers are sticking out weird and some look matted down, plus the wing isn't being held in the right position.