Orphaned & Injured Birds

Wildwoods Rehabilitation, located in Duluth, helps residents who have found orphaned and/or injured wildlife. The information on this page has been adapted from their website. Thank you Wildwoods!

Baby bird out of nest. To know how to respond, you must first determine if the birds is a nestling or a fledgling. Please click here to find out how to tell the difference, and how to proceed afterwards.

Photo courtesy of Wildwoods Rehabilitation

Cat Attack. Sadly, roughly half of Wildwoods Rehabilitation’s yearly census comprises birds and other animals who have been injured by cats.  Even animals who don’t seem severely wounded often die within days of a cat attack, due to the virulent nature of the pasturella bacteria which inhabit cats’ mouths.  If you have an animal who has been bitten by a cat, contact Wildwoods Rehabilitation immediately. 

And please, keep your cat indoors! Your cat will live a longer and healthier life, and the birds will thank you!

Photo courtesy of Wildwoods Rehabilitation

Important-- the course of antibiotic treatment for cat bites is very expensive.  When bringing a cat-injured bird to Wildwoods, it is courteous to make a donation to help with costs.

In the event of a window strike.  Gently lift the bird and, if the weather is warm, place it in a safe place outside (an open box works).  If it’s cold outside bring the box inside, cover it with a towel, and place the bird in a quiet place.  It can take up to two hours for a bird to recover from a blow to the head.  If after two hours the bird still seems listless and stunned, contact Wildwoods Rehabilitation for assistance.

For more information about window strike please visit Audubon Minnesota's BirdSafe Homes page.