What To Do With An Injured Bird

Finding an injured bird in your garden can be destressing, but there may be no doubt that the bird needs your help. If you’re wondering what to do with an injured bird, you can take a couple of courses of action. As long as you are gentle and calm when handling the bird, you should be able to provide the right help and allow the bird to get back into the wild as soon as possible. Here’s how to help an injured bird and when you should call in the professionals.  

How To Tell If A Bird Is Hurt?

Sometimes, birds that you think are injured aren’t actually hurt. However, there are sure signs you should look for to determine whether the bird you are worried about is actually in pain and how severe the injury is. Unfortunately, if a bird has taken damage to a part of its body besides the wings, it will likely fly away before you can approach. However, if a bird has severe injuries, here are some signs you should look out for.

• It doesn’t fly away when you approach. Some nestlings and fledglings won’t evacuate when they are learning to fly. However, if the bird is an adult and doesn’t fly away when you approach, it may be injured.
• The bird is unconscious – If the bird is quiet with closed eyes and fluffed feathers or is unconscious, this is a sure sign of pain. 
• It is unable to fly – If the bird attempts to fly away but can’t, its wings will likely have a problem. 
• There are obvious issues – Of course, if you spot breathing issues, drooping wings, difficulty standing or a clear wound, the bird is definitely injured.[i]  

Who To Call If You Find An Injured Bird

The best way to help an injured bird is to get professional advice. There are plenty of companies and charities that you can call in the event of finding a bird that you believe to be hurt. Although there are things you can do to help an injured bird, getting professional advice before attempting to help is in your (and the bird’s) best interest,  

For example, if you are dealing with a bird with a broken wing, the best course of action would be an x-ray and assessment performed by an experienced vet or other specialists. So, before you decide what to do with an injured bird yourself, we’d highly recommend getting in touch with one of the companies below. They will be able to give you the best advice for your situation.

• RSPCA (England and Wales)
• SSPCA (Scotland)
• USPCA (Northern Ireland)
• RSPBYour local vet
• Your local wildlife rescue/rehabilitation centre

Should You Leave An Injured Bird Alone?

Birds are easily shocked, especially by human intervention, and being handled can cause unnecessary stress that may even result in death. So, before attempting to help an injured bird, you must make sure the bird needs your assistance. If the bird is stunned and doesn’t move, can’t fly away, or you spot any apparent injuries, then you can intervene.

What To Do With An Injured Bird

If you’re questioning how to help an injured bird, there are a few different routes you could take depending on the severity of the situation. As we mentioned above, you should call a professional wildlife rehabilitation centre to ensure that you will benefit the bird by helping it. However, if your garden is fully equipped with pest control solutions, you may be able to leave the bird to recover where it is.

Here’s what to do with an injured bird to keep it safe.

1. Approach the bird slowly. You don’t want to startle a potentially injured bird, as this could cause further pain. The bird is likely only stunned if it doesn’t look seriously injured. As long as it is in a safe area, you can leave it alone until it is ready to fly away.
2. However, if the bird doesn’t fly away or looks injured, you can gently pick it up and examine it for visible injuries.
3. Once you’ve checked over the bird, gently place it in a box with air holes. Keep the box closed and move it into a cool, quiet, dark area.
4. If you spotted an injury, get in touch with a wildlife specialist for further advice. However, if the bird looks unscathed, it is likely only stunned. Regularly check up on the box, and release it back into your garden when the bird wakes up. Of course, if there are no signs of movement after around 3 hours[ii], contact a wildlife specialist.

Knowing What To Do With An Injured Bird

Knowing what to do with an injured bird can help you save that bird’s life. Just remember that it’s always best to call the RSPCA or a similar organisation to ensure that you can help the bird rather than cause it more harm unintentionally.

Have you helped an injured bird? Tell us your story!

Sources

  [i] https://wildlife.tufts.edu/what-kind-of-animal-is-it/bird/tell-bird-truly-sick-injured/

[ii] https://www.thespruce.com/when-birds-hit-windows-386511

Gemma Sharp

Gemma Sharp is the resident writer for Garden Bird, a supplier of premium bird food and accessories. She has had a genuine love for our feathered friends from a young age, and has dedicated a lot of her time to learning all there is to know about them. If you’re struggling to pick the right bird feed for your garden, need help identifying a type of wild bird, or can’t decide where to put a nesting box, Gemma is the person to go to! She is passionate about sharing her years of learnt knowledge with the public. In her free time, she can be found feeding birds at home with her three young boys.