Killdeer and quail are precocial birds, meaning they hatch fully feathered, walking, and able to eat on their own—very different from most baby birds. Because of this, they do not do well in captivity and are often accidentally “rescued” when their parents are still nearby. Killdeer adults may even pretend to be injured to distract you from their young, which leads many people to believe the babies are abandoned. Please call us before removing them from their location so we can help determine whether intervention is truly needed. In most cases, the parents are close and actively caring for them, and keeping these birds in the wild gives them the best chance of survival.