Is it obligatory to return a female bird and its chicks to their owner if found, or do the chicks become the property of the one who cared for them?

The basic principle is not to pick up the bird, as it can protect itself. However, it is permissible to pick it up if it is ill and unable to fly, or if there is fear for it from someone untrustworthy. The one who picks it up has the choice between owning it, eating it, and paying its price to its owner, or keeping it and spending on it as a charitable act. If the picked-up female bird is a lost item (Luqṭah), then its offspring is also a lost item. A lost item that has value must be announced for a year.