Yes, you should gently move a stunned bird to a safe, dark, quiet, and ventilated container (like a box with air holes) to help it recover from shock, keeping it away from pets and people for an hour or two, but do not give it food or water; if it doesn't recover and fly away, contact a wildlife rehabilitator.
If you find a stunned bird, put it in a small box. Cushion and prop the bird up in a normal position with some soft cloth. Don't try to give it food or water. These birds often have hidden injuries, so if at all possible, take it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
If possible place the bird in a well-ventilated box. If the bird appears to have recovered within two hours, open the box to see if the bird will fly away. If the bird still seems stunned and unable to fly after two hours, please get in touch.
The bird will generally take 4 to 6 hours to recover from shock if there are no other major medical issues or injuries sustained – if it doesn't – seek advice. While the bird is in shock, don't force it to eat or drink.
If you see an adult bird on the sidewalk with its eyes closed and/or not moving, the bird likely hit a window and is stunned.
With a severe concussion, the animals may be not only dazed but appear as if they have lost consciousness. Many affected birds can hardly stand upright. They're unable to move and may be trembling. Very often severe vomiting occurs because the animals are nauseous.
Physical mishap and heat loss are just two of the many instances which may cause our pets or breeder birds to go into shock - one of the body's ways of preparing for death. In fact, avian species have such an active shock mechanism that sometimes a bird literally seems to "give up on life'. '
The bird will usually have symptoms of concussion, including being unusually still, appearing “calm,” and being unable or unwilling to fly away when approached by humans. They may also have visibly broken wings, blood around the face, or hold their heads in a tilted position.
For medium sized birds you will need two hands – one over each wing. Place the bird into a secure and well-ventilated box. Keep the box in a warm, dark room and try not to disturb it. This reduces stress and shock for the bird and is the best treatment you can give it.
Birds who have hit windows need medical attention as soon as possible, especially if they show any of the following symptoms:
Birds need safety, privacy and quiet time when they are stressed just like we do. So make sure you provide them with a quiet space where they can get away from people, other pets or anything else that might stress them out. Next, work on providing your bird with a better diet that supports brain health.
Place the bird in an unwaxed paper bag or a box with breathing holes as quickly as possible. If you wait too long, the bird may try to fly away despite its injuries. Close the bag or box securely. If it is a box, make sure there are a few air holes poked into the sides.
Birds sitting on a wire don't touch the ground (or anything in contact with the ground), so electricity stays in the power line. But, if a bird touches a power line and equipment or other metal that is grounded, it gives electricity a path to the ground, and the bird could be shocked.
Most birds with minor concussions recover within an hour or two if they're going to recover at all. If blood or black spinal fluid is coming from the mouth, the bird is most likely fatally injured. Otherwise, there is at least a chance that it will recover.
During the fall, winter, and early spring (September to mid-May), a bird on the ground unable to fly is probably injured. Slowly approach the bird, and if it doesn't fly away when you're within 10 feet or so, you can assume something's wrong.
Birds that are stunned don't move for a short period of time while they recover from the impact. Allow the bird a few minutes to recover on its own, after this short period the bird should be able to fly away on its own.
Birds are often in shock after colliding with a solid surface. If step B is not possible, allow the bird time to recover inside the container (1-2 hours). Do not attempt to feed or provide water to the bird. Later, try to release the bird in suitable habitat away from the window.
For the bird to have the best chance of recovery and release, contact a rehabilitator right away. Don't try to care for the bird yourself. Only a licensed wildlife rehabilitator has the special equipment and skills to provide the injured bird with proper care.
Instead of talking to the bird, find ways to make him feel safe that don't involve human interaction. This can include playing soothing music or switching on the television. Of course, if you have a rapport with your bird already and they trust you, then talking to them is an effective way of lowering anxiety.
A popular "2-minute concussion test" is the King-Devick Test, a rapid number-naming assessment that screens for eye movement, attention, and language issues by having someone quickly read single digits from cards, with a significant slowdown indicating potential brain dysfunction after a head impact, often compared to a baseline score. This portable test helps sideline concussion screening for athletes, catching signs that other methods might miss, but it's part of a comprehensive protocol, not a standalone diagnosis.
Symptoms of shock
In 1952, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study stating that a player should not continue playing professional football after suffering three concussions. As players continue to get bigger, faster, and stronger, the number of concussions has increased.
Keeping the bird in the dark helps reduce stress, and a source of heat can help with shock. You can wrap a hot water bottle in a towel and place it inside or next to the box, making sure the bird can get away from the heat if it wants to. If it begins to pant, remove the heat source immediately.
They can make wonderful pets, but cats roaming outdoors kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year in the U.S., making cat predation by far the largest human-caused source of bird mortality.
When a bird is sitting on a wire, it's perched with both feet on the same wire. This means its body is at the same voltage as the wire. Since there's no voltage difference across its body, electricity has no reason to flow through it. No flow of electricity = no shock!