Watch: Baby bird rescued from storm drain, reunited with mother

Friends rescue baby bird from storm drain and reunite it with mother

Adorable video showed a baby being reunited with its mother after two Kentucky friends rescued it from a storm drain. (Credit: @femidreamz – Louisville, KY)

A man’s video is going viral on social media after he and his friend managed to rescue a baby bird that got trapped in a storm drain and reunited it with its mother.

"I’ve always felt that if you’re in a position to help even a small creature, you should," Lukman Nurudeen told FOX Local. 

Baby bird rescued

The backstory:

Nurudeen, 36, and his friend, Taiwo Mudah, 33, were walking on a trail near their apartment complex last Friday evening.

During their walk, they heard a bird crying near a storm drain.

The friends saw the mother bird "pacing back and forth" near the drain and they decided to investigate the reason why.

When they approached the storm drain, Nurudeen and Mudah saw a very tiny, baby bird at the bottom.

What they're saying:

"The sound of that baby bird crying out really hit me. I couldn’t ignore it," Nurudeen said. "A lot of people might’ve walked past, but in that moment, it didn’t feel right to do nothing. It was struggling, and we were there. That was enough reason."

Nurudeen lifted the drain grate and carefully lowered himself down. Once inside, he scooped up the baby bird and gently placed it on the asphalt. 

Side by side screenshots of a baby bird being rescued from a storm drain in Louisville, Kentucky. (Credit: @femidreamz – Louisville, KY)

Baby bird and mom reunited

Nurudeen and Mudah managed to get the baby bird to safety and watched from afar as it was reunited with its mother.

The mother bird quickly joined her baby and snuggled on top of it. (Cue the ‘awwws’).

Dig deeper:

Nurudeen said he had originally posted the video to entertain his friends, but did not expect it to go viral on Instagram and TikTok.

"It didn’t feel like a big deal to me helping others is just something I’ve always done," he said.

Nurudeen’s video on TikTok has garnered over 1.2 million views, with thousands of comments commending the pair for helping the animals.

Local perspective:

Nurudeen said that he did see a few comments claiming the video was staged due to the storm drain being so clean, but wanted to explain that his apartment complex was a newer build, which could explain the lack of debris.

As for why he recorded the ordeal, he said he wanted to ensure his safety.

"We were worried someone might see us lifting the drain cover and think we were trying to break in or do something suspicious. So, just to be safe, we joked about recording everything mainly so if anyone reported us, we’d have proof that we were just trying to rescue a baby bird," Nurudeen.