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Found a Baby or Injured Bird in North Carolina? Here's What to Do
Most baby birds on the ground do not need rescuing. Check for feathers first. If it is hurt or truly orphaned, call a licensed rehabber from the regional list below. Wildlife hotline: (980) 389-1133, 8 AM to 8 PM daily.
Start here: 3 quick checks
1
Is it feathered?
Feathered and hopping or flitting? It is a fledgling. Leave it alone, keep pets indoors, and watch from a distance. Its parents are usually nearby.
2
Bare skin or fuzz only?
Bare skin or sparse fuzz, and it cannot grip or hop? It is a nestling. Gently put it back in the nest. Parents do not reject a baby because a person touched it.
3
Hurt, cat-caught or stunned?
Bleeding, a drooping wing, caught by a cat, or hit a window? Do not feed or give water. Box it warm and quiet, then call a licensed rehabber below.
Who to call:
licensed NC bird rehabbers
A
Charlotte area
Waxhaw: (800) 388-2972
Indian Trail: (704) 286-6330
Concord: (980) 228-9686
B
Triangle and middle NC
Asheboro: (336) 879-7644
Chapel Hill: (919) 619-0776
Sanford: (919) 499-7776
Warrenton: (252) 204-0081
C
Mountains
Banner Elk: (828) 898-2568
Candler: (828) 633-6364
Coastal NC rehabbers
D
Southern coast
Wilmington: (910) 612-9127
Southport: (910) 294-2555
Myrtle Beach, SC: (800) 388-2972
E
Central and eastern coast
Ayden: (252) 531-7972
Hubert: (910) 326-6432
Newport: (843) 505-0828
Richlands: (704) 616-5756
Richlands: (910) 650-9978
F
Cannot reach anyone?
NC Wildlife Helpline: (866) 318-2401
CWCC hotline: (980) 389-1133, 8 AM to 8 PM daily
We do not treat birds, but we will help you find a licensed rehabber.