Most baby birds found on the ground are not orphaned and may not need human assistance. Look for the parents or a nest. If you see either one, leave the baby alone or put it back in the nest. Touching the baby will not cause the parents to abandon it. Watch from a distance and keep children and pets away from the area. If the baby is injured or the parents have not returned after several hours, it will need help.

Probably nothing. A young bird alone on the ground has not necessarily been abandoned. The young of many birds will fledge after they grow feathers, but before they are able to fly. They spend a day or two on the ground before their feather development is complete. It is really best not to interfere. The parents will be close by and come to feed the bird as soon as it is safe.

No. These are not suitable foods for young birds most of which will be fed on soft insects, worms and grubs in their early days. Scrambled egg, with a little moist cereal, is fine to begin with but more suitable food, for both seed and insect eating birds, is available from pet shops.

No, birds have little or no sense of smell, but do keep contact to a minimum. It is often easier to pick a bird up by gently covering it with a cloth first.

A nestling, that is a naked or down-covered baby, found on the ground should be put back in its nest, if at all possible. If the youngster is cool to the touch, it should be gently warmed in your hands before placing it back in the nest; the parents will not reject it because a human has touched it. However, there is an exception. Baby ducks and geese are walked to water from the nest soon after hatching.

Unless it is in obvious distress or injured, leave it alone. Very few baby animals are true orphans, and the babies' best chance for survival is with their parents. If the bird is a nestling (naked or downy with few or no feathers) find the nest and put it back. Or, if you can't find or reach the nest, put it in an open box in the tree or bush close to where the nest might be. If it is a fledgling (feathered but not able to fly), move it nearby but out of danger.

You're in luck. Call Ann Young, "The Bird Lady". She is a world renown wild bird rehabber, and she runs a wild bird refuge right here at 205 Robin Road in Altamonte Springs, FL 32701. Her phone number is 407-339-2900. Please give her a donation so that she can continue to run her clinic. If you happen upon a bird of prey (hawk, falcon, owl, etc) call the Orlando Audubon society at 407-644-0190.

Do not pick him up and take him home! Don't feed him. His parents still may care for him, and it is very important to give that baby bird the chance to be with his natural parents. Taking him away from his parents can result in that bird becoming imprinted on humans - bonding to humans instead of his natural wild parents. An imprinted bird cannot survive in the wild.

Leave it alone because the parents could be nearby. Keep the pets and kids far away from nests and nestlings. Check here for more information.

You may not legally keep wildlife. Our suggestion is that you leave the "baby" bird or animal alone. Many times, you have found the animal because it's parent may be locating food; or you may have startled the parent animal which is very probably nearby. If you disturb or remove the "baby animal" you may very well insure that it's parent cannot return to care for it! Wild babies are best left in the "wild" where the special needs of diet and care can be provided for by the adult animals.

Take down your feeders and clean them with a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach and 9 parts water). Let them dry completely and then re-hang them. Also, rake underneath the feeder to remove old seed and bird droppings.

Bird Flu" or Avian Influenza is a highly contagious viral disease that can classified as either low pathogenic (low mortality) or high pathogenic (up to 100% mortality). Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza like the common flu in humans is a common annual event in birds. High Pathogenic Avian Influenza like the H5N1 virus circulating in Asia, Europe, and Africa is less common.

If you find 5 or more dead birds contact your local DNR office. If you find less than 5 birds and they are Crows and Blue Jays contact your local health department for West Nile Virus sampling. If you find less than 5 birds that are not Crows or Blue Jays you should leave them where they are. If you do decide to dispose of dead birds pick them up without directly touching the dead bird by using a plastic bag or shovel.

If your bird is an exotic pet bird such a parrot or parakeet, take your bird to your local veterinarian. If your bird is poultry (chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, domesticated ducks, or domesticated geese), call your local veterinarian. If this is not possible, and symptoms in your birds are severe, please report the illness to the Arizona Department of Agriculture Livestock and Poultry Hotline Number at 1-888-742-5334.

Many people who have found tiny arrowpoints assume they were used to hunt very small game such as birds. These tiny points were some of the last ones made of stone just prior to the introduction of metal artifacts. They were used to hunt buffalo, deer, elk, and other large game. Early points were used on atlatl darts or throwing spears. They tended to be large, lanceolate types during Paleoindian times.

Yes. Most birds have a poorly developed sense of smell and will continue to care for their young, even if humans have handled them.