Handling Injured Birds
If you find an injured bird of prey:
Contact the Raptor Rehabilitation Center or another wildlife expert. Please Do NOT attempt to rehabilitate birds on your own. We can often arrange FREE transport for injured birds to the Raptor Rehabilitation Center.
Tips for Handling Injured Raptors
1. Always contact a professional. Please do not attempt to rehabilitate the bird on your own. If you are unsure of who to notify, you can always contact The Raptor Center. Other appropriate agencies would be:
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Your state's Department of Natural Resources or Game, Fish and Parks Department
- Your local sheriff's office
2. Never feed an injured bird. The dietary needs of raptors are more delicately balanced than many people realize. Even the best steak imaginable will not provide the bird with what it needs. Also, most injured birds are suffering from dehydration, and attempting to feed or water the bird may kill it, as it is probably not yet able to digest solid food or even plain water. Often, when an injured bird arrives at The Raptor Center, it is given a special fluid therapy for several days before we attempt to feed the bird.
3. Handle wild birds only if it is absolutely necessary. The less contact you have with the bird, the more likely it will be to survive.
Remember: Even a seriously injured raptor is potentially dangerous. Wild birds have no way to know that you are trying to help. Even if the bird is docile at first, it is very likely scared, and will perceive you as threat. Raptors are quite unpredictable. Be particularly aware of the bird's talons and beak.
If you must handle or move a bird, be extremely careful. Wear heavy gloves if possible.
We recommend that you wrap the injured bird in a blanket, towel, coat, or other cloth for protection. Gently fold the bird's wings back against its body.
4. The best way to transport the bird is in a cardboard box with plenty of ventilation holes cut in it, particularly near the base of the box. The box should be only slightly larger than the bird, and ideally the bird should still be carefully wrapped in a cloth for protection. The less room the bird has to move around, the less likely it is to cause more injury to itself. The bird's wings and feathers are very vulnerable to damage if the bird panics and begins to thrash about in a confined area. For this reason we recommend that you do not use a wire cage.
5. Provide the bird with a calm, quiet environment, but do not keep the bird any longer than is necessary to get it to a veterinary professional trained to treat birds of prey.
The bird should be placed in a warm, dark, quiet place. Darkness has a calming effect on birds, and quiet is particularly important because of the bird's extremely sensitive hearing. Extra care should be taken to keep the bird away from children and pets.
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