If you find an injured bird and want it to be safe, here are some things you can do.
Steps
Step 1. Avoid further stress by eliminating any distractions
If you have other animals or children, keep them away so they don't harm the bird.
Step 2. Contact a wildlife rehabilitation center near you
You can find the number in the Yellow Pages. You can also call a local animal shelter, some in fact rely on or refer to specific centers. Wild birds are nationally protected. You can also call a veterinarian who specializes in birds, who may be able to give you some advice on this.
Step 3. Find a cardboard box or other container to put the bird
It must be bird-proof (i.e. it must not damage its wings and legs, without hermetic seal, without wire mesh). The box should be large enough for the bird to move and turn around, but not too wide for it to flap its wings to avoid further harm. Make holes in the sides and on the closure to let it breathe. This must be done before putting the bird inside.
Step 4. Slowly approach the bird and gently throw a towel over it
Be patient. If you can't get close enough, "don't" hunt him down. Use a towel that does not fray. The claws of the paws can easily become entangled in the fibers.
Step 5. Collect the bird with the towel and very gently place it in the box
Close the box tightly making sure there is enough air inside. Keep the box indoors in a dark area where there are no loud noises. You can place half of the box on top of a heating pad. If you have to take the bird to the recovery center, do not keep the radio on in the car so as not to scare it.
Step 6. Don't try to feed him or heal him on your own
Birds are easily stressed when handled and need the expert care of a veterinarian.
Step 7. Take the bird to a veterinarian or wildlife-friendly recovery center
In the United States, it is illegal to keep wild birds beyond the time it takes to take them where they can treat them. Birds require special diets and care, and wild birds are not well adapted to captivity.
Step 8. Ask the recovery center if you can let him loose and if he will be able to be well in nature again
Often the birds are released close to where they were found. It is the best reward for the love that drives them to save!
Advice
- The site https://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm helps you find animal recovery centers.
- Be patient: Birds are naturally fearful. It may be impossible to get him to let himself be taken. In that case, don't try to catch him by becoming more aggressive.
- You can call the local branch of the LIPU who will rescue the bird and take it to where it can be treated.
- In the United States, the Migratory Bird Protection Act is a federal law designed to protect all wild birds. So it is a crime to have a wild bird without permission.
