Found a Jay, Crow, or Raven?

Please call our wildlife hospital hotline (541-441-7193) if you have found an injured or orphaned jay, crow, or raven.

Understanding Crows, Ravens, and Jays: When to Help

Crows, ravens, and jays are all part of the corvid family, known for their intelligence and complex social behaviors. Corvids are important for seed dispersal, pest control, and are a part of nature’s clean-up crew by scavenging on carrion and food waste.

Found a baby jay, crow, or raven?

During the spring and summer months, you may encounter baby jays, crows, or ravens. These include:

Nestlings & Hatchlings – very young birds with little to no feathers, usually unable to move far from their nest; these babies are completely dependent on parental care.
Fledglings – older than nestlings; birds with feathers but are still learning to fly, and often found hopping on the ground; fledglings are often mistaken for injured adults.

If you find a nestling, hatchling, or fledgling, it’s important to act quickly. Contact Wildlife Images as soon as possible to determine the best course of action. In many cases, these birds can be safely renested or monitored if they are healthy and not in immediate danger. If the baby bird was caught by a cat, or is otherwise visibly injured, it will need medical attention as soon as possible.

Re-nesting or Reuniting a Jay, Crow, or Raven

The first step is to determine if the bird is a nestling, hatchling, or fledgling using the information above. Fledglings do not need to be returned into the nest, but need to be returned to the same area in which it was found. Fledgling crows and ravens can spend up to two weeks learning to fly! If you are unsure, please call the Wildlife Hospital hotline so we can assist you with identification.

Try to locate the original nest. Search the trees or shrubs directly above and nearby where the baby was found. If you find the nest and it is accessible, gently place the baby bird back into the nest.

Touching a baby bird will not cause the parents to abandon it; this is a myth!

If you can’t find a nest or can’t reach the nest, try making a substitute nest. You will need a small, shallow container (i.e., cleaned margarine or butter container, plastic berry box, small wicker basket) lined with tissues, grass, or pine needles.

Place the baby inside the substitute nest, and secure the nest in a tree or shrub near where the bird was found. Aim for the nest to be 6-10 feet off of the ground and out of direct sunlight/rain.

Watch from a distance. Stay at least 30 feet away from the nest and monitor for 1-2 hours to see if the parent birds return and feed the baby bird. If the parents don’t return for two or more hours, call the Wildlife Hospital hotline for next steps.

Found an injured jay, crow, or raven?

If you come across an injured jay, crow, or raven (e.g., bleeding, unable to fly, or visibly hurt, or acting unusual), it will need medical attention. Make sure the crow or raven is not a fledgling; fledgling crows and ravens can spend up to two weeks learning to fly!

When to Intervene

Obvious wounds, actively bleeding/swelling/bruising
Respiratory distress (barely breathing or labored open-mouth breathing)
Neurological symptoms (head ticking back and forth, falling over, stargazing, etc.)
Shivering or trembling
Drooping or uneven wings and unable to fly
Entangled in barbed wire/fencing/netting
Hit a window
Hit by car
Caught by a cat or dog
Reuniting strategies have been tried and failed

Carefully contain the bird in a secure and ventilated box and bring it to Wildlife Images for medical care and rehabilitation during our patient intake hours, 9am-4:30pm 7 days a week. We prefer if you call ahead so we can prepare for the animal’s arrival, and to ensure that our clinic is able to provide rehabilitation services.

***Do NOT offer food or water to an injured, sick, or orphaned animal unless instructed to do so by clinic staff. Many species require a specialized diet or formula, and young animals and birds can be easily aspirated without proper training and equipment.***