- Injured Bird: Identify and Assess Condition
- How to help an injured bird?
- Professional help for injured bird
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When you find an injured bird, it is important to know how best to help the bird. Read our article to find out when you should leave him alone, take care of him or get professional help.
Anyone who finds an injured bird should always remain calm and proceed with caution, because the care of injured wild birds is not an easy task and in most cases a matter for experts. Some birds give only the appearance of needing human assistance and are often better off left to their own devices. In this information article, we will explain how you can recognize a bird that actually needs your help in an emergency and how you should best act in such a case.
Injured Bird: Identify and Assess Condition
If you find a bird on the ground that doesn't seem to move and doesn't flee even when you get closer, this is usually a sign of injury. In such a case, you should first observe the affected bird closely from a safe distance.
If the animal only seems apathetic and has no external injuries, it is often a collision victim that has flown into a pane of glass, for example. The bird is then probably dazed and needs to recover from the shock of the impact. Therefore, if the animal is not in immediate danger at the site of discovery - from cats or other predators - it is best to leave it alone and see if the bird recovers on its own and flies away. However, if you find a bird with external injuries, broken wings or legs, or an obvious medical condition, such as respiratory problems or severe plumage damage, please do not hesitate to act and actively help the animal.
Tip: Bird strikes are a common cause of injury and even death in birds. But there are a few things you can do to prevent bird strikes. We've summarized these for you, along with methods you can use to protect birds from cats.
Note: IfIf you find sick or dead birds that are apparently infected with an infectious disease, report them to the district veterinary office or to NABU. In addition, once you have found the affected birds in your own yard, thoroughly clean all feeding and watering points and adjust feeding as necessary to prevent the bird disease from spreading.
How to help an injured bird?
Try to capture the bird without harming it. Grasp it gently but firmly around the middle of the body so that it doesn't flap its wings wildly and injure itself further. If the animal is very hectic, you can also throw a jacket or blanket over it to capture it in this way. It is best to wear gloves to protect yourself from the sharp claws and beaks of the animals. Then place the bird in a perforated box, lined with a towel if necessary, and place in a quiet, dark place until you make further decisions about the animal's care.
The same applies to collision victims who are in immediate danger, because the shocked animals are often unable to flee at first and are therefore easy prey for predators. Put the bird in a dark, air-permeable cardboard box or put one over the bird at the place where it was found. The animals can calm down in the dark and often recover. Observe the bird for some time and release it if it shows signs of activity at the site.
Warning: Do not offer food or water to the bird - the injured animals may not be able to eat or drink on their own and could choke or suffocate in the water bowl drown.
Professional help for injured bird
If a collision victim has not recovered after several hours - overnight at the latest - or if you find an obviously injured or sick bird in the first place, it is time to seek professional help. Because nursing an injured bird is a matter for experts and usually goes wrong in the hands of laypeople - even if it is well intentioned. Instead, contact a veterinarian, a bird sanctuary or another suitable foster home, such as one of the NABU wild bird sanctuaries.
Note: You can also report injured birds to the Wild Bird Relief Emergencies Facebook group if youcan't find a foster home. The members will usually give you the names of suitable veterinarians or nursing stations in your area within a short period of time.
If you found a baby bird instead of an injured bird, there are a few more things to consider. You can find out about them in our special article.