Just like teenagers, when birds fledge, they are almost as large as adult birds. Juvenile birds often have yellow coloration at the base of their beaks, and they may have a short tail. Sometimes the short tail is mistaken for an adult bird that has lost its tail feathers. Adult birds with lost tail feathers are capable of surviving until new ones are grown. Never intervene if you are concerned about a bird because it appears to have an unusually short tail.
Young robins have a spotted or streaked breast.
If you see this feature, do not pick up the bird. If after a few hours of intensive observation from a distance, you notice the bird is not being attended to, you may have an orphaned or injured bird. Short term care for an orphaned bird Fledglings without parental attention for more than 3 hours can be taken in for short term care until you can call a wildlife rehabilitation centre. It is illegal to be in possession of any wildlife species without a license, but short term overnight care in the interest of the bird's survival is permitted. Birds, when in the care of people, have the best chance for survival with other wild birds its own size.