Injured Birds

An injured bird is easy to identify. He may hop or fly in small circles and will often puff his feathers. Rapid first aid is extremely important for an injured bird and the best first aid is to provide her with a dark, quiet place to rest. This helps the bird recover from stress and helps prevent the bird from going into shock. If you decide it is necessary to intervene, place something over the bird to capture her, like a cardboard box or a basket. In some cases even a towel or an article of clothing will work. For example, if a small bird has collided with your window and is on the ground, you may gently capture her with gloves or drape her with a cloth. Place the bird in a box or paper grocery bag that has small, pencil-sized air holes poked through the side. Include a ravel-free cloth with no loose strings or paper towels on the floor inside. Close the container securely and place it in a dark, quiet, warm place where it will be undisturbed for an hour. After an hour, open the container outdoors. If the bird flies out and takes off, she has recovered. If she does not fly, flies weakly, flies in circles, or otherwise appears to be injured, close the container or recapture the bird and call your local wildlife rehabilitator. If you are in Milwaukee County, please call us for further advice at (414) 431- 6204.

In order to minimize stress for the bird during transport, do not play your car radio and keep noise to a minimum. For large injured birds such as owls, hawks, herons and geese, please talk to our staff for safe capture advice and possible assistance from a trained WHS Wildlife Rescue Volunteer.

Birds collide with windows because of the reflections on the glass. Prevent window collisions by applying Whispering Windows static window clings, BirdScreens, or CollidEscape on the outside of problem windows. Each of these products is available through Wally's Workbench. For more information about preventing bird window collisions, visit our WIngs page.