The best way to do this is to loosely wrap the bird in a towel and gently place it in a secure and well-ventilated box. Place the box away from noise, pets, children or other disturbances. Do not attempt to feed the bird. Contact your local wildlife rescue organisation who will be able to provide further advice.
Any songbird you find on the ground who is an adult, rather than a fledgling, and who does not immediately fly away from you is in need of help. The bird is either sick or injured and must be taken right away to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
If you can locate the nest nearby, the best thing to do is simply place the nestling back in the nest. If you cannot locate the nest, leave the nestling where you found it or move it to a shaded area. The parents will come back. Don't worry, your scent won't deter the parents.
Do not try to force feed or give water to the bird. Take the bird outside and open the box every fifteen minutues to see if it is able to fly away. If it is still staying put after a few hours, you can try to find a local wildlife rehabilitator. Click here to locate a Wildlife Rehabilitator by county.
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.
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.
Wild birds are frightened of humans and will try to escape, often flying back into glass or into the street. Gently but firmly grab the bird by putting one or two hands over its wings; put it into an unwaxed paper bag, cloth tote bag, or box.
Will My Bird Come Back If It Flies Away? Birds are social animals who need companionship. They'll eventually search for people and birds they know and will attempt to come back to their owner in most cases.
If you do not see any adults near the nest and there is no progress (no hatched eggs, etc.) after four (or more) weeks, the nest may have been abandoned. For a nest containing young, often nestlings may appear to be abandoned when they are actually not.
Birds need fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing. Most birds drink water every day. They also seem to enjoy bathing to clean their plumage and remove parasites. Providing water improves habitat for birds and other animals, and increases your chances of observing their fun behaviors up close!
First, it violates federal and state laws, such as the Migratory Bird Act, to possess any wild native American bird for any length of time without proper permits. Second, even with expert care and feeding, people simply cannot provide baby birds with most of the skills they need to negotiate the natural world.
Storks are symbols of good luck.
Remove it to a cool, safe place, if possible. Birds go into shock very easily, and anything you can do to keep that from happening will greatly improve the bird's chance of survival. Don't try to feed the bird or make it drink. If a bird has just hit a window, it may simply need time to regain its senses.
Place their shelter in a dark, quiet place.
Birds will be quiet as they recover so do not be alarmed if they do not sing or chirp in the box. In fact, the quieter their shelter, the better it will be for their healing. If the bird is an adult, you should keep the box outside as far away from the house as possible.
Petting down the back or under the wings can lead to a sexually frustrated bird, or a bird who perceives you as a mate rather than a companion. A mated bonded bird can be hostile to others in your home, becoming jealous or possessive of you.
Some research on ravens, however, suggest they can remember the calls of various individuals for at least three years (Boeckle & Bugnyar, 2012); pigeons have been tested foronly up to about six months on memory for objects (Cook et al., 2005)—but no one knows how long their memories might really last.
But wild parrots are difficult to tame, so some either managed to escape or were intentionally released by frustrated owners. Some of these liberated parrots survived and even thrived, particularly in urban areas where food was plentiful and wild predators were relatively few.
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.
The best rule of thumb if you find a baby bird or any animal infant is just to leave it alone. In most cases, the parents are nearby and may be waiting for you to leave the area. Touching animals can also result in diseases passing from wildlife to humans, or vice versa.
Never touch a dead bird directly with your bare hands. Use disposable gloves or place a plastic bag (without holes) over your hand. Turn the bag inside out over the bird and then tie the bag closed. Double bag it this way.
In the instance that you've found a trapped bird please call our helpline on 0300 1234 999 during the hours of 8am-8pm.
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.
If you find a sick or injured bird, contact a wildlife rehabilitator or local veterinarian to see if they are able to care for it. Make sure you call first as some clinics don't have the facilities to isolate sick birds, and can't take the risk of spreading a communicable disease among their other birds.