Bird Health: How to Treat and Look After an Injured Bird at Home
Have you ever seen an injured bird flailing around? It’s a sad thing to witness, and many of us feel powerless to help because we simply don’t know what we ought to do. If you want to help, here’s how to treat and look after an injured bird at home.
First, you need to know what the law is regarding injured wild birds.
According to the RPSB, it is “legal to take in and keep most injured wild birds for the purpose of looking after them and releasing them as soon as they are fit.” However, it’s not recommended that you attempt to be a bird’s ‘mother’ (i.e. caring for a baby bird that’s flown the nest but failed to fly properly), or that you act as a vet for an injured bird. If you’re not professionally trained you might actually do more harm than good, so just give them basic care (like providing them with a quiet, warm space to recuperate in) before releasing them back into the wild or the bird may die.
You should only catch the bird if it’s easy to.
An injured bird may actually fare quite well if it’s got a broken leg as it’s still able to fly. So, if a bird is able to fly away from you, do not try to catch it. Instead, give it space and let it retreat to somewhere safe to recover. In the meantime, you can install a bird feeder in your garden so that an injured bird has a convenient food source a short distance away. Think about the type of bird feeder you need and the kind of seed you want to include it in it: specific types suit particular garden birds better than others, but a multi-seed feeder is a good place to start if you want an all-purpose model to begin with.
If the bird is unable to fly, you’ll need to prepare a box to put it in once you’ve caught it.
Get a shoe box or a cardboard box and puncture some ventilation holes into the lid so that there’s plenty of oxygen getting into the box or you could use a pet carrier if you have one that’s suitable. Lay something soft in the bottom, and make sure the box is warm to the touch (so leave the box in an airing cupboard or underneath a radiator). Just take care to ensure that the box is in no way hot. Once you’ve caught the bird, you’re going to place it in the box with the lid on. An injured bird is likely to be in shock, so a dark, quiet, warm environment with plenty of ventilation is the best thing to help it calm down.
Then, if you’re able to catch the injured bird, do so carefully.
The bird might consider you a predator when you reach to grab it, so don’t be surprised if it flaps and panics. Handle the bird very carefully, cupping it firmly but gently. Small birds can be held in one hand by placing your hand over the bird so that its head fits between your first and middle finger. Medium sized birds should be held with two hands, placing one hand over each wing. Take great care when you do this if one of the bird’s wings looks to be injured. However, a large bird shouldn’t be handled at all. They can injure you by accident, so if you’ve found an injured large bird such as an owl, call an expert rescuer to catch it for you.
Once you’ve caught the bird, give it a very quick inspection to see what the injury is likely to be.
The bird could be suffering from a broken wing or it may just be a little dazed and confused. Then, pop it in the box and close the lid. Hold the box very carefully, leaving it somewhere safe (out of the path of children and pets) for a little while so that it can calm down. In this time, call your local vet, RSPCA or rescue centre to let them know you’ve found an injured bird. They will likely ask you to bring the bird to them so they can give it proper assessment and treatment. You might feel disappointed that you can’t treat it yourself, or take it in as a ‘pet’ to feed and care for, but it really is a job for the professionals!
Once you’ve taken the bird to a professional, think about what else you could do for other birds in your area.
You’ll be doing a great deal for your local bird population by simply serving the healthy birds that live there, so be sure to install bird feeders (something that’s especially helpful throughout the cold winter months), and add a bird bath too if you’ve got the space.
Now that you know how you should treat and look after an injured bird around your home, there are some things you can do to be prepared. Keep a shoe box handy for such emergencies, and think about installing a bird feeder in your garden to help injured and healthy birds survive the winter months.
Have you ever helped out an injured bird? We’ve had a few land in our garden (and even wander into the kitchen), that we have passed onto a local rescue to nurse back to health.
*This is a collaborative post.
Lovely tips, we often get seagulls fall off the roof. The baby ones. I try to help them but their mum thinks I’m being cruel and starts pecking at me! But i’m only trying to hand her baby back safely! Nightmare!
Actually as it is legal to care for a wild animal until it has recovered (or is permanently disabled) who technically has ownership of an injured, wild animal? Should the vet thereby ask consent for euthanasia? esp if someone has stated they want to care for it and/or pay. Curious to know, as in this situation, they always seem to ask you to ring later to find out the outcome. Thanks.
I have to admit I have no idea, I’ll have to try and find out. Good luck with your bird I hope someone can help. x
What about a fledgling with an injured eye? Does it have a chance in the wild? Would that be best left alone or taken to a vet who may put it down?
Do you have an animal rescue nearby they maybe able to help.
Thanks. I think the vet treats the wildlife there. Argh. Guess I have to risk the vet.
I found out the hard way as a kid that I am allergic to bird dander. So sadly, if I came upon an injured bird I would have to stay very far away from it. 🙁
Such an interesting article! We’ve taken birds to our vet after seeing the babies fall from a nest!
Interesting article.
Interesting post, I don’t think I’ve ever been in the situation but useful to know this information now! xo
A lovely post with some really useful information.
What a lovely post, I don’t have a garden but my mum does and she loves to feed the birds in her one so I’ll have to share this post with her x
What a handy post to have. I’m very much about looking after wildlife. Bookmarked!
We saved a morning dove when it was a baby. We lost it in a house fire but he was so old that he was 10 years older than the average age of a morning dove that lived in the wild. He was sweet.
You have covered this topic in good detail.
Thanks for the helpful pointers.
I’ve found some injured birds around here before and always had to pass them off to more experienced friends. After reading this, I’m confident that I could take care of them myself.
I love that you shared this because it’s something you don’t think about unless you are in the situation of trying to save an injured bird. When I was little i remember my dad doing this, and with a shoe box and everything. We saved the little birdie together and i remember being so happy that it was ok.
Great tips! We have a lot of birds in my area, and thankfully none have ever been injured that I have seen. If it happens though, I feel like I’ll be prepared to handle the injured bird now after reading this.
Hopefully you won’t ever have to use it 😉 it’s no nice to see them injured 🙁 x
Our local zoo takes in injured birds. We have taken a few There in the past after they have had mishaps around us.
It is great to know somewhere you can take birds if you need to isn’t it.x
This is great advice, and so sweet of you to share it. Hope someone can use it to save a bird sometime. I took care of a few that had trouble flying when I still used to live outside of the city.
Some very helpful advice here, I will keep this post in mind if needed for future reference
This is such a great, informative post. A baby bird fell off a tree in our garden a few years ago and his mother was nowhere to be found – we watched for hours as they say you shouldn’t really move them incase their parents come back, but we had left it a bit too late.
Aww that’s a shame, sometimes you can only do what you think is right and hope for the best 🙁 x
This was a very interesting read. I had no idea that a bird could survive and even thrive with a broken leg. That’s important to know, so you don’t rescue a bird that doesn’t need it.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I have seen so many injured birds in our area, but I didn’t do anything because I didn’t know how. Now I can help them!
This is great advice especially before the spring nesting season. Everyone has run into a similar situation and there aren’t always wildlife rehab groups locally for immediate assistance.
We don’t see many birds in our garden, which is a shame… I think cats scare them all 🙁
When I was little I came across a nest of injured birds whose mummy had been killed. I scooped them up into my arms and cared for them as best as I could. Sadly they died not long after they were already too sick but I like to think that I helped them live the rest of their life in comfort. I gave them a proper burial and everything x
Lovely tips! I’m sure this post will be incredibly useful for those who stumble across an injured bird. Have a lovely New Year x
I’m lucky in that my next door neighbour has a lot of experience with birds and whenever we find one injured we take it to him, but it’s handy to know what to do if he isn’t present!
I have not come across an injured bird but at least I will know how to care for it for the future if this happens.
I have to admit they seem to find me, rather than me finding them lol x
Loved reading this – my mother found an injured bird and cared for it at home years ago. They called him beako!
Aww how lovely – for some reason I seem to attract them, luckily our vets are very good with them, as is the local wildlife centre. x
Nice post, and good idea to bring to a professional who can help care for bird, it’s not a good idea to try and keep bird. When I was a kid, have had two injured birds and didn’t know any better and the birds would have fared better if taken to vet
What a great post. My parents found an injured bird recently and took it in. Unfortunately it passed away within the hour so there was nothing they could have done. But I’ll remember these tips if it ever happens to me. Jo x
Aww bless, it is sad when that happens :(. x