If you do find cuts or wounds on an injured bird, it's important you know how to treat them. Cuts and wounds can be gently cleaned with a solution of warm salt water (1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water) or sodium chloride/saline. Don't remove any clots of blood as this can start the bleeding again.
If you find an injured bird, carefully put it in a cardboard box with a lid or a towel over the top, and place in a cool, safe place. Birds go into shock very easily when injured, and often die from the shock.
If you have found a sick or injured bird it will need to see a vet before coming into care. If you are able to safely contain the bird, you can keep it in a quiet, dark, warm place e.g. wrapped in a towel in a ventilated box or carrier with a lid while you transport it to the nearest vet.
Birds bones heal much faster than mammals, and the bones may be sufficiently healed after just 3-4 weeks of care. Once the fracture site is stable, we remove all of the pins. The bird is then ready for flight conditioning before it can be released.
Apply some triple antibiotic cream to the wound. If the wound is small, just applying the antibiotic cream twice daily may be enough for healing. If the wound is large or the bird is chewing at the wound, it should be temporarily bandaged until a veterinarian can see the bird.
Can a bird's broken wing heal on its own? Just as we're designed to heal after a break, the average bird can recover from a minor wound without any intervention. Often it will be starvation or a predator, rather than the injury itself, that ends her life.
The bird is either sick or injured and must be taken right away to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Important: For the bird to have the best chance of recovery and release, you must contact a rehabilitator right away and transport the songbird there immediately. Don't ever try to care for the bird yourself.
From transduction to transmission, modulation, projection, and perception, birds possess the neurologic components necessary to respond to painful stimuli and they likely perceive pain in a manner similar to mammals.
For most injured birds, place them gently in a box and keep them quiet, dark and cool. It may be that the bird is in shock and will soon recover so you can let it go. If it is more seriously injured, this will reduce stress on the bird until you can get advice on how you can help it.
An injured bird should always be passed onto a local vet, RSPCA in England and Wales, SSPCA in Scotland, USPCA in Northern Ireland or an independent rescue centre, so it can receive appropriate treatment without undue delay.
Like all veterinary practices, if a wild animal's life is in danger and they are injured or sick we will always provide emergency care, regardless of their species.
In some cases, this may be enough. But if the bird seems woozy or cannot fly, please keep it with you and contact a local wildlife rehabilitator.
When a Bird Loses a Leg. Many times when a bird is horribly injured or disabled it will not survive. Other consequences of the injury, such as weakness or infection, may take a toll as well, but some birds adapt amazingly well to being one-legged.
London Wildlife Protection focuses on wild birds living in London. We are a volunteer-run organisation, and endeavour to provide a rescue service when possible for all trapped, injured, sick or orphaned birds, and also for the eggs and nests.
Just as biting can be indicative of pain or discomfort, so can screaming. Thus, any bird that suddenly starts screaming should be checked out by a veterinarian to ensure there is no medical basis for this behavior. While screaming can indicate underlying stress or unhappiness in birds, so can decreased vocalization.
Although there are more than 10,000 species of birds in the world, when an avian patient needs pain medication, veterinarians often rely on one drug, butorphanol.
Sick and injured birds should be housed in a cardboard box with holes punched in the sides for ventilation. Putting them in a wire cage can cause significant feather damage which may render them unreleasable. Line the bottom of the cardboard box with a towel.
Birds with broken wings can fly again after their fractured bones are held in place using lightweight pins whittled down from dog or sheep bone. Both wild and pet birds can fracture the delicate bones in their wings and legs.
This is normal behavior; the bird is not injured and will fly off in time. During the fall, winter, and early spring (September to mid-May), a bird on the ground unable to fly is probably injured.
Birds that are in shock appear weak, unresponsive, fluffed up and breathe in slowly and out quickly. Place the bird in a quiet, semi-dark, warm, humid environment. Warmth is essential in getting birds through a state of shock – temperature should be between 25 and 30 degrees.
Ideally, bird owners should take their pet birds to the vet at least once a year for checkup. In some cases, emergency vet visits may be necessary.
During practice hours small wild mammals and wild birds should be treated free of charge if they are brought to a veterinary surgery. Vets are obliged by their professional code to provide any necessary pain relief or euthanasia.
Birds are very different in anatomy and physiology to dogs and cats, requiring specialized care administered by a qualified avian veterinarian. Contrary to popular belief, most veterinarians are NOT trained in veterinary school to deal with every species of animal they might come across in a private practice.
In the instance that you've found a trapped bird please call our helpline on 0300 1234 999 during the hours of 8am-8pm.