26/09/2026
🖤🤍 Meet Marcello — hear his story and learn about the importance of letting wild babies grow up with their parents! 🖤🤍
Marcello is a beautiful young magpie who was found near the caravan park at North Entrance and kindly picked up by a member of the community.
After a few little stopovers along the way, Marcello eventually made his way to the wonderful team at Killarney Vale Vets, who contacted Phoenix Wildlife Rescue about the young magpie needing care.
Phoenix picked Marcello up on Friday and, as always, gave him plenty of TLC.
During his health check we noticed he had throat worms — something that isn’t uncommon in young birds and generally isn’t a major concern unless there is a heavy infestation. We treated him as a precaution and supported him with the best nutrition we could provide.
Marcello was a very happy little fella in care… but behind the scenes, Phoenix was already planning something even more important: getting him home to his family. 🥰
🐣 Nestling → Branchling → Fledgling
Young magpies go through several developmental stages. When they are tiny nestlings, they are completely dependent on their parents and generally remain in the nest.
As they grow, they become branchlings, venturing out of the nest and onto nearby branches, fences and other structures. Eventually they become fledglings, spending increasing amounts of time on the ground and learning all the skills they need to survive independently.
And this is where things can be confusing for people.
A young magpie that appears to be alone does not necessarily need rescuing.
As babies become more independent, their parents don’t necessarily sit beside them constantly. They may be out foraging for food, looking after other chicks, or deliberately keeping their distance while their youngster learns to explore and become independent.
👉 Please don’t pick up or remove a young bird unless it is genuinely in immediate danger or clearly injured, sick or orphaned.
If a young magpie is sitting safely on a branch, fence or even on the ground, the best thing you can often do is leave it where it is and observe from a distance. Its parents may be nearby, even if you can’t see them.
🖤 Marcello’s reunion
Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough information to know exactly where Marcello had originally been found, which made finding his family a little more challenging.
But this is where collaboration between wildlife carers and organisations is so incredibly valuable. 🥰
Thanks to the fantastic team at Wildlife A.R.C Society Inc, the carers in the area began connecting about Marcello’s case. As it turned out, an A.R.C. carer had actually reunited one of Marcello’s siblings with the same parents just a few days earlier!
So on Sunday morning, Phoenix and A.R.C. headed out with a very happy Marcello, ready for the most important part of his journey.
Our goal was to establish that the adult magpie pair recognised Marcello as their own baby and would continue caring for him.
We waited. ⏰
And waited… ⏰
For more than an hour, the parents inspected the scene, moved around and continued caring for at least two other babies who were already branching around the trees and fences of the caravan park.
It was absolutely beautiful to watch — and also quite clear that this magpie family has a very big job on their hands this breeding season! 🥹🖤🤍
And then came the moment we were waiting for…
Dad fed Marcello. ❤️
That was our confirmation. Marcello was reunited with his family!
We were then able to place him safely high up in a tree making it as easy as possible for his parents to find and care for him.
Another successful reunion — and another wild baby where he belongs. 🌿🖤🤍
A huge thank you to the kind member of the community who initially helped Marcello when he got lost, Killarney Vale Vet, and our friends at Wildlife A.R.C. for the wonderful collaboration that helped us get this little family back together.
🌿 Please remember: not every baby bird needs rescuing. Sometimes the greatest help we can give wildlife is simply giving them space to be raised by their parents.
If you find a young bird and you’re unsure what to do, please contact a wildlife rescue organisation for advice before picking it up. 🐦❤️
License # MWL000104064
