Health & Care · Birds
Wild Bird Rescue
Window Strikes, Baby Birds, and Rehab Handoffs
You found a bird on the lawn. Your job is to stabilize it and hand it to a licensed rehabber, never to keep it. 10 lessons on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, telling a nestling that needs help from a fledgling that does not, putting a nestling back in the nest, why every cat-caught bird needs a rehabber within hours, the dark box protocol for window strikes, building a cardboard transport box, why you never feed or water a rescued bird, finding a licensed rehabilitator and calling first, preventing window strikes at home, and making your yard safe.
About this course
Most of the wild birds people try to save die of kindness: tossed into the air to see if they fly, fed bread and water, kept in a cage for a week. This course teaches you the small, legal, useful role you have. Lesson 1 is the law: native wild birds are federally protected, you cannot keep or treat one, and a licensed rehabilitator is the first call every time. Lesson 2 keeps you from kidnapping a healthy fledgling that is hopping on the ground, and Lesson 3 shows you how to put a naked nestling back, because the human-scent myth is false. Lessons 4 and 5 are the two commonest emergencies: a cat-caught bird that will die of infection within a day or two unless a rehabber gets antibiotics into it, and a window-strike bird that needs one to two hours in a dark box, not a toss into the sky. You'll build a ventilated cardboard transport box, learn why you never put food or water in a shocked bird's beak, and find your nearest licensed rehabber through Animal Help Now or your state wildlife agency, calling before you drive. The last two lessons stop the next strike with exterior decals and netting, and make your yard a safer place with native plants and clean birdbaths.
What you'll learn
- Federal law on wild birds, and why the licensed rehabber comes first, never a home cage
- Telling a nestling that needs help from a fledgling that does not, and re-nesting safely
- Why a cat-caught bird needs a rehabber within hours, even with no visible wound
- The dark box protocol for a concussed window-strike bird, and building a transport box
- Why you never give food or water, and finding a licensed rehabilitator and calling ahead
- Preventing window strikes with exterior decals and netting, and making your yard bird-safe
Who this is for
Anyone who has found a stunned bird under a window and not known what to do; parents whose kids came in holding a baby bird; and cat owners who want to know which licensed rehabber to call when the cat comes in with feathers in its mouth.
Course outline (10 modules)
Quiz & Certificate
Knowledge quiz
After completing all lessons, take a short quiz to test your understanding.
Go to quiz →Completion certificate
Pass the quiz and earn a shareable certificate of completion.
View certificate →Frequently asked questions
Ready to get started?
$9.99 · Lifetime access · 10 lessons