How to take good care of an injured bird?
Locating an injured wild bird in your garden is something you may experience once in a while. Wild birds may get injured due to the attack of predators, or small birds may fall from their nests and receive an injury. Whatever the case, you may feel sympathetic to take the bird inside your home and care for its wounds until the injured bird is able to fly again.
Be Aware of the Laws
Before trying to pick up the bird, make sure you’re aware of the laws. In many areas, it’s illegal to pick up a bird and rescue it on your own. If this is the case, you should rather call rescue services. Upon their approval, you can pick up the bird and keep it in a secure place.
It’s possible that the bird has fallen down from the nest and its mother may come out in its search. So, look out for the nest and wait for some time. Once you’re sure the injured bird is abandoned, you can take it indoors or hide it at a safe place away from wild animals.
How to Care for a Wounded Bird
Identify Injuries
In order to take care of an injured bird, you should know of its species and age. Also, analyze the bird for potential injuries. Look out for cuts or blood stains on its feathers and skin.
It’s essential to test the grip of a bird before taking care of its injuries. For this purpose, place the bird on your finger. If it has a strong grip, it may not need to be rescued. On the other hand, if the bird is unable to stand or fly, it may have incurred injury to its legs or feathers.
Keep It in a Warm Place
You should keep the wounded bird in a warm place so that it can heal quickly. Prepare its bed by lining a cardboard box with soft cloth sheets. Don’t forget wearing a pair of thick gloves when handling the weak bird, or else it may hurt your hands. Pick it up gently and place the bird in the prepared bed.
It’s suggested not to feed an adult injured bird anything unless you’re aware of its dietary requirements. The injured bird may not be able to digest solid food. So, the best solution is to take the bird to a vet. They will suggest the appropriate feed and take care of its wounds.
Take the Bird to a Vet
It’s not safe trying to take care of the injured bird on your own. You should take the injured bird to a veterinary doctor or deliver it to wildlife rehabilitation professional. Aside from treating its wounds, they will aid in the rehabilitation of the wounded bird.
Birds have specific dietary requirements. Wildlife rehabilitation professionals have in-depth knowledge of how to take care of injured birds. So, take the injured bird to a rehabilitator and release the bird once it’s ready to fly again.
