Deuteronomy 22:7
But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days. But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
The law allows a person who finds a bird's nest to take the young for himself, but requires him in every case to let the mother bird go free. The stated reason for that sparing of the dam is blessing to the obedient, that it may go well with him and that his days may be made long. That promise of prolonged days stands with the fifth commandment as one of its appendages, belonging in a particular way to the children of Israel and to their life in the land of Canaan.
The requirement is an expression of divine care for the creature and for the preservation of animal life, not a permission for needless destruction. It therefore condemns wanton cruelty that kills a mother bird and leaves her young without care. It forbids killing harmless birds merely for pleasure, for their lives are gifts from the Creator, and a mother bird taken in flight may have nestlings in the nest dependent on her return.
It forbids robbing a nest or wantonly taking a bird's life, and requires kindness to birds. That kindness is to be taught to boys, that they may be manly and fair and kind, and public sentiment is to be fostered in schools and in growing character until cruelty to birds brings shame. When that sentiment is formed, a respectable woman would be ashamed to wear a wild bird's wing and an honest boy would be ashamed to admit that he had robbed a nest.