Animal Help Now

Q: In the United States, can I move a bird's nest with eggs or baby birds in the nest?

A: There are very few exceptions, so the short answer is NO. The majority of birds & their "live" nests, a nest with eggs or live offspring, are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918.

This law prohibits individuals from killing, capturing, selling, trading, transporting, or having possession of protected birds, their feathers, the nests, & eggs without a permit or license.

One of the main reasons it is not recommended to move a bird's nest, especially with eggs, is the bird will not search or look for their nest and simply assume the nest and babies are gone. The majority of birds will "fledge" or leave the nest between 10 and 21 days. This really isn't that long.

So, early spring please start being mindful and aware that birds are looking for places to build nests. These nests could be in dryer vents, mailboxes, wreaths, hanging plant baskets, trees, bushes, grills, campers, boats, cars, or patio furniture. Even bicycle helmets & boots.

And one last thing, adult birds will not abandon their offspring because you handled or placed them back in the nest. Many birds simply have a poor sense of smell & cannot detect human scent. (There are some birds who have well developed olfactory systems but even these birds will not abandon offspring handled by humans.)

Https://ahnow.org/blog/2025/05/30/ignorance-can-be-illegal-and-it-can-kill/

It’s Be Kind to Animals Week. Remember that using pesticides and herbicides on lawns and gardens is dangerous to our health, animals’ health and the planet in general. Such poisons kill bees, frogs and more.

In addition, the majority of songbirds feed their offspring insects throughout the summer. Spraying pesticides causes leg & beak deformities & even death for new hatchlings.

Is that babybird in trouble? Please do not be a babybird napper!

How can you tell if one should be rescued or left alone? For information on what to do, see https://ahnow.org/resources.php .