Please call our wildlife hospital hotline (541-441-7193) if you have found an injured or orphaned hawk, owl, falcon, eagle, or vulture. 

Understanding Raptors and Birds of Prey: When to Help
Raptors are birds of prey, including hawks, owls, falcons, eagles, and vultures. If you’ve found an injured or orphaned raptor—especially a nestling or fledgling during spring or summer—please contact our Wildlife Hospital hotline (541-441-7193) right away. Our wildlife rehabilitation team can assess the bird’s condition and, when possible, work to reunite young raptors with their parents.

***Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)***

Raptors are especially susceptible to HPAI. Some neurological symptoms may indicate Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). If the raptor shows unexplainable neurologic signs (head ticking back and forth, wobbliness, falling over), do not attempt to capture it. Please call us immediately for further guidance.

When to Intervene

If you see any of the following symptoms or situations, the raptor likely needs medical attention. Please call our Wildlife Hospital at 541-441-7193.

• 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 by car
• Hit a window
• Caught by a cat or dog
• Reuniting strategies have been tried and failed

Before attempting to contain the raptor, please call our Wildlife Hospital hotline (541-441-7193) for further guidance. Only attempt to contain the raptor if instructed to do so by clinic staff.

How to Contain an Injured Raptor

To capture and contain an injured (non-flighted) raptor, you will need…

• A thick towel or blanket
• Heavy gloves
• A ventilated box or pet carrier

1. Calmly, quietly, and slowly approach the raptor holding the towel or blanket.
2. Gently toss the towel or blanket over the raptor’s body, making sure to cover the head and wings
3. Carefully scoop the raptor up in the towel or blanket and place it in a ventilated box or pet carrier. Do not grab the wings of the raptor, but rather grasp it with the wings placed against its body (think of a holding a football). Hold the raptor away from your body to avoid the raptor’s talons.
4. Once securely contained, close the box or pet carrier. Put the raptor in a warm, dark, quiet location and transport it to Wildlife Images as soon as possible during patient intake hours, 9am-4:30pm 7 days a week. Please call ahead so we know to anticipate your arrival and can ensure we can offer rehabilitation services.

Found a Baby Raptor?

During the spring and summer months, you may encounter young raptors.

• Nestlings & Hatchlings – very young birds with fuzzy or downy feathers, usually unable to move far from their nest; these babies are completely dependent on parental care.
• Fledglings/Branchers – 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 but are still dependent on parental care.

If you find a nestling, hatchling, or fledgling, it’s important to act quickly. Contact our Wildlife Hospital at 541-441-7103 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 Baby Owl, Hawk, or Falcon

1. Identify the life stage of the baby raptor. Is the raptor a hatchling, nestling, or fledgling? If you are unsure of the age, please contact our Wildlife Hospital hotline for assistance. If the raptor is a fledgling, it does not need to be returned into the nest. Instead, it can remain outside of the nest nearby on the ground or in low shrubbery. If the raptor is a hatchling or nestling, it should be re-nested unless it is injured or was caught by a cat.

1. Try to locate the original nest. Search the trees or shrubs directly above and nearby where the baby was found. Owls can nest in tree cavities, broken snags, and old squirrel or hawk nests. Hawks usually nest on large stick platforms in trees, power poles, ledges, and even cliffs. Falcons usually nest in tree cavities, cliffs or ledges, buildings, and even nest boxes. 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!

1. If you can’t find a nest or can’t reach the nest, try making a substitute nest. Depending on the size of the baby raptor, you can use a 5-gallon bucket, tub, laundry basket, or milk crate, and line the bottom with pine needles, leaves, or bark to create a makeshift nest.
   • 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 as high as possible, ideally 12-30 feet high. You can use bungee cords, rope, or wire to secure the makeshift nest. Face it outward, and make sure it is sheltered from direct sunlight/rain. 

1. Monitor quietly from a distance. Watch from at least 50-100 feet away for a few hours to see if the parents are nearby and attend to the baby. If the parents do not attend to the baby for 6 or more hours, call our Wildlife Hospital hotline at 541-441-7193 for further instructions.

Re-nesting or Reuniting a Baby Vulture

Re-nesting a baby vulture is different from other raptors. Vultures do not build nests, but instead reuse and return to natural cavities year after year. Nesting sites typically include hollow logs and stumps, rock crevices, caves, abandoned buildings, and dense brush or thickets. 

1. Identify the life stage of the baby vulture. Is the vulture a hatchling, nestling, or fledgling? If you are unsure of the age, please contact our Wildlife Hospital hotline for assistance. If the vulture is a fledgling, it does not need to be returned into the nest. Instead, it can remain outside of the nest nearby on the ground or in low shrubbery. If the raptor is a hatchling or nestling, it should be re-nested unless it is injured or was caught by a cat.

1. Try to locate the original nest. Search the area where the found was found for hollow logs, stumps, rock crevices, caves, abandoned buildings, and dense brush or thickets. If you find the nest and it is accessible, gently place the baby vulture back into the area.

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

1. If you can’t find a nest, try making a substitute nest. 
   • Use a large plastic bin, wooden box, or pet carrier with ventilation lined with dry leaves, straw, bark, or wood chips. Make sure it is dark and cave-like, with a small entrance hole. Put it on the ground, in a secluded and shady area, near where the vulture was found. 

1. Monitor quietly from a distance. Vulture parents are very shy and will not return if you’re nearby. Watch from a hidden spot or check for signs of return: droppings or regurgated food near the entrance, chick looks more alert or less hungry, and adults seen circling nearby at dawn or dusk.

Found a Baby Eagle?

1. If the baby eagle is injured, call our Wildlife Hospital hotline at 541-441-7193 for further steps.
2. If the baby eagle is not injured, Call the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at 541-826-8774 to inquire on further steps on what to do. If you cannot reach them, call the Oregon State Police non-emergency line at *677.

***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.***