What To Do If You Found a Sick or Injured Bird (2024)

FAQs

What To Do If You Found a Sick or Injured Bird? ›

Keep it in a quiet and warm place. Call a local wildlife rehabilitation center. There are locations in every state - so you will need to do a search online or call your local humane society or the Department of Natural Resources.

If you find a young bird (or any species of wildlife that seems sick, injured, or in trouble), usually the best thing to do is to leave it alone. Why? For one thing, it's the law. In North America, it is illegal to disturb most wildlife species.

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.

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.

Most of the time, the best thing to do is to leave the animal alone, but you'll know a wild animal needs help if it has a visible broken limb, is bleeding, shivering or has a deceased parent nearby.

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.

In some cases, it is easy to tell if a bird requires immediate euthanasia. The purpose is to ease their suffering when there is no hope at all – such as a bad trauma case with multiple fractures, badly broken beaks, leg amputations, etc.

Weak or injured birds usually need rehydrating. They can slowly be given sips of Gatorade or a sugar water mixture which can then be given by dipping your finger in the liquid and running your finger along its beak so the liquid can slowly seep inside. Sugar water mixture is five parts water to one part sugar or honey.

While sick birds can occasionally be treated by their owners at home, any bird showing signs of illness should be examined by an avian veterinarian as soon as possible. Birds that are critically weak, vomiting, disoriented, or bleeding from any bodily orifice may require hospitalization.

Safety first

Do not touch or handle sick birds.

How to tell if a bird is dying? ›

Unfortunately, once birds become seriously ill, they can start sinking fast. Common signs of a bird who is dying include: Not eating or drinking. Wheezing and struggling for breath.

DON'T give the bird water or food, unless directed by a wildlife rehabilitator. DON'T let children touch or handle the bird; they carry disease, and improper handling of the bird—no matter how softly—can hurt it further.

If you can't place the dead bird in plastic bags and throw it away, you can bury it. Do not bury it in a plastic bag. Wash any clothing that has touched the dead bird. Use ordinary laundry soap at the temperature you would normally use to wash clothes.

Keep the temperature of your bird's cage around 90 °F (32 °C). Keeping your sick bird warm is essential when helping it get over an illness. You can tell that your bird is cold if it fluffs up its feathers to try and trap warm air next to its body.

Contact a Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator

If there's a concern about predators, place the bird in a small box that is ventilated at the top and put the box in a dark, quiet location away from drafts and noise. You can place a shallow water dish in the box, but do not force feed the bird.

Place the wild bird in a cardboard box and cover it with a lid or towel. Then place the box in a cool, safe place to give the wild bird time to recover from the shock of the injury. Be careful when handling the injured bird; use gloves to protect yourself from any disease or germ.

If you can, wrap them in a warm towel to offset the shock and place them in a well ventilated box. After this you can contact your vet or nearest animal emergency hospital to inform them of the bird's condition, should it be badly injured and need additional assistance.

If you find a dead bird, contact your local health department; it is the agency authorized to pick up dead birds for testing.

If You Find an Injured Animal

Move slowly and talk to the animal reassuringly. If you feel that you are in danger of being hurt, try to contact animal control, an animal shelter, a police officer, or a veterinarian for assistance. If this is not possible, try to find someone to assist you. Handling the Animal.

Transport your bird to the veterinarian in a carrier that is secure and allows some air to get in. Keep the bird warm by transporting the carrier on a heating pad, hot water bottle, or other container filled with hot water. Cover the carrier with a towel on at least 3 sides to minimize visual stimuli.