Born Wild, Stay Wild: Preventing Orphaned Birds

This robin is angry because you keep calling it an orphan, but it is not! Remember that fledgling birds have left their nest on purpose and spend time on the ground while learning to fly.
How you can help prevent orphaned birds:
  • Keep weak limbs trimmed or removed from your trees to help prevent nests from falling to the ground.
  • Provide shrubs for cover and nesting for a variety of birds. Planting fruit-bearing shrubs can also provide food to birds.
  • Keep your cats indoors. Even declawed cats and those with bells on their collars can catch young birds and kill them. Cats are very instinctual predators and will catch and kill birds even with no intention of eating them. They are the number one predator of songbirds in neighborhoods and should always be kept indoors.
  • Keep an eye on your dogs too. While less likely to kill birds, some dogs see young birds as toys and will injure or kill them with only the intention of playing.
  • Provide bird feeders and a water source that are near shrubs and trees to increase cover for birds from predators.
Information courtesy of the Ohio Division of Wildlife