Wildlife Rescue
You found a baby bird
Macau's wild birds (sparrows, bulbuls, mynas, magpie-robins)
A fully feathered baby bird hopping on the ground is a fledgling, and it is usually NOT abandoned. Its parents are almost certainly nearby and still feeding it, so most healthy fledglings should be left exactly where they are. Only a naked or barely feathered nestling that has fallen, or a bird that is clearly injured, actually needs your help.
What to do
- Watch quietly from several metres away for an hour or two to see whether a parent returns.
- Work out fledgling versus nestling: feathered and hopping means leave it, while naked or downy means it fell from a nest.
- If it is a nestling and you can reach the nest, gently place it back and withdraw, as parents do not reject a handled chick.
- Move it only if it is in immediate danger from traffic, cats or hot sun, lifting it to a nearby bush or branch out of reach.
- If it is injured, cold or truly orphaned, place it in a ventilated box lined with soft cloth and keep it warm, dark and quiet.
- Contact IAM or call Royal Veterinary Centre for advice before doing anything further.
What NOT to do
- ×Do not rescue a healthy hopping fledgling, as you are usually taking it from parents that are watching.
- ×Do not feed it or force water, since the wrong food or water in the airway can kill a chick.
- ×Do not keep it as a pet or try to hand-raise it yourself.
- ×Do not handle it more than necessary, and wash your hands afterwards.
When to step in
Step in only if the bird is bleeding, has a drooping wing, is cold and limp, is covered in ants or flies, or you have watched for one to two hours and no parent has come. A lively, feathered fledgling should be left alone.
See a vet urgently if...
- !Visible blood, a drooping or dragging wing, or a leg it will not stand on
- !Cold, limp, weak or unresponsive
- !Covered in ants, flies or fly eggs, or a cat or dog has caught it
- !Naked nestling on the ground with no reachable nest and no parent after one to two hours
Who to call
IAM (Municipal Affairs Bureau, Instituto para os Assuntos Municipais) is the Macau wildlife authority, Civic Service Hotline (853) 2833 7676. For an injured or orphaned bird we can stabilise or advise on, call Royal Veterinary Centre 24/7 on +853 6677 6611.
Legal note
Native wild birds are protected, so keeping one as a pet is generally illegal in Macau, and any rearing or release should go through IAM's proper channel.
In Macau
Macau's urban trees, parks and the Coloane hills are full of nesting sparrows, bulbuls, mynas and magpie-robins, so spring and summer bring many grounded fledglings that are perfectly healthy.
A parent bird's sense of smell is poor and it will not smell a human on its chick, so the old myth that touching a baby bird makes the parents abandon it simply is not true.
Related care sheets
General guidance reviewed by the Royal Veterinary Center team. Not a substitute for a veterinary examination. Always confirm species-specific and legal requirements for Macau.