Many believe that touching chicks is dangerous because their mothers may smell a human and abandon the young.
However, according to biologist Miho Chu from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this is a myth: birds have a poorly developed sense of smell and will not reject their chicks due to human interference.
Feathered parents are very devoted to their young and are not easily distracted from caring for them, LiveScience reports.
It is important to remember that one should not pick up chicks unnecessarily. Often, young birds may seem abandoned, but their parents could be nearby. It is better to observe the chicks for a while — in most cases, the parent will return and take care of its offspring.
Chu warns that human intervention can attract predators, which poses the greatest threat to the chicks. However, if a bird is in a dangerous situation, such as on a road in an area full of cats, it can be carefully returned to its nest.
