Most of our songbirds are nidicolous, they are cared for by their parents in the nest until they are fully fledged. Blackbirds, redstarts and many other species often leave the protective nest before they can really fly, writes the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach. The young birds continue to be fed by their parents until they are independent. It would therefore be wrong to take them home with the intention to care for them. The rearing is still skilfully mastered by the bird parents.