Finding an injured or ill bird that is unable to stand can be alarming. As caring people, our first instinct is to want to help the poor creature. However, before rushing in to assist, it’s important to understand some key things about handling wildlife and how to properly provide aid to a downed bird. With the right approach, you can potentially assist the bird in recovering or ensure it receives proper wildlife rehabilitation.
Assessing the Situation
The first steps when coming across a bird that cannot stand are to observe and assess the situation:
- Is the bird exhibited any other visible injuries, blood, or wounds? This may indicate it has been attacked by a predator or hit by a vehicle.
- Does the bird appear to have a broken wing or leg that is impairing its movement? An obviously broken limb requires specialist veterinary care.
- Is the bird displaying any neurological symptoms like rolling over uncontrollably, difficulty breathing, seizures, or head tilting? This may suggest major trauma, poisoning, or other severe medical problems.
- Is the bird emaciated and possibly suffering from starvation or dehydration? In this case, nourishing it carefully is the primary goal.
- Does the bird have any tags, bands, or obvious signs of being a domesticated pet? If so, an owner may need to be located.
Making these quick observations will allow you to determine the likelihood of the bird recovering on its own and if human intervention is recommended. A bird that was merely stunned and disoriented after colliding with a window may simply need a quiet space to rest in a cardboard box until it regains its faculties. But an obviously dysfunctional, starving, or badly hurt bird requires rehabilitation assistance without delay.
Handling With Care
Wild birds are high-stress and delicate creatures that must be handled with great care by knowledgeable persons only. Well-meaning people often do more harm than good by trying to handle injured birds without training. Their hearts are in the right place but their methods can be dangerous to the bird. Here are some tips on careful handling:
- Do not try to pick up the bird with your bare hands, use gloves or a towel to gently contain it without constricting movement.
- Minimize the time you directly handle the bird to avoid stressing it further.
- Place the bird in a cardboard box on a soft cloth, provide warmth with a heating pad under half the box.
- Keep the bird in a quiet, dark place like a closet to minimize stimulation.
- Do not attempt to give the bird food and water, as this can easily cause aspiration pneumonia.
- Handle raptors like hawks, owls, and falcons with extreme caution to avoid being injured by powerful talons.
Getting the bird into safe temporary housing is the first step until wildlife rehabilitators can provide professional medical care.
Determining the Cause
To help the downed bird, it’s vital to try and ascertain what caused its immobilization if the reason is not apparent. Here are some common causes of birds being unable to stand:
Injury
The bird may have sustained an injury that severely hinders mobility such as:
- Fractured or broken wing, leg, toe bones
- Ligament or tendon damage
- Wounds from a predator attack
- Concussion or neurological trauma from hitting a window or car
Injuries often require veterinary intervention like surgery, bandaging, medications, and physical rehabilitation. Supportive care accelerates healing.
Illness
Sickness can leave a bird too weak to stand, especially:
- Metabolic bone disease from nutritional deficiencies
- Toxic poisoning from pesticides, oil spills, chemicals
- Parasites like avian malaria or intestinal worms
- Viral, bacterial, or fungal infections
- Debilitating diseases like West Nile virus or avian flu
Treatment depends on the specific illness but may involve fluid therapy, medications, deworming, feeding supplementation, or other intensive care.
Exhaustion
Sometimes heavy fatigue can ground a bird, for example:
- Migration exhaustion for traveling species
- Weakened nestlings ejected from the nest
- Emaciation and starvation
- Dehydration
Rest, warming, rehydration therapy, and nutritional support helps revitalize exhausted birds.
Age or Disability
Some birds that cannot stand properly suffer from non-reversible conditions like:
- Permanent disabilities from past injury or illness
- Birth defects affecting mobility
- Senior birds with declining mobility and strength
These birds require supportive long-term care and housing adaptations rather than medical treatment. The goal is keeping them as comfortable as possible.
First Aid Basics
Before a bird can be transported to a wildlife rehabilitator, some initial first aid steps may help increase chances of survival:
Contain Properly
– Use gloves/towels to pick up the bird with minimal handling and contain it in a cardboard box on a soft cloth. Keep in a quiet, warm, dark place.
Prevent Shock
– Cover the bird to provide security and warmth. Place sock filled with uncooked rice that was microwaved for 1-2 minutes to provide gentle heat. Monitor to avoid overheating.
Hydrate
– Use an eyedropper to give very small drops of non-medicated electrolyte solution. Ensure the fluid does not enter the windpipe.
Stop Bleeding
– Apply direct pressure to any active bleeding with a clean cloth. Do not use a tourniquet or adhesive bandage.
Immobilize Fractures
– Stabilize any obvious broken wings or legs with cardboard splints taped in place. Do not try to set bones.
Transport Quickly
– Get the bird to a wildlife rehabilitation facility as soon as possible. Timely professional treatment is critical.
Proper first aid maximizes the chance of healing and recovery for an injured or ill bird unable to stand on its own. It provides a bridge to necessary rehabilitation care.
Rehabilitation Process
Once the bird is in the care of wildlife rehabilitators, the process of healing begins through coordinated medical treatment and supportive therapies. Here is an overview of bird rehabilitation:
Intake Evaluation
– Thorough hands-on physical exam under sedation notes all wounds, fractures, abnormalities. Diagnostic tests like x-rays determine internal injuries.
Address Health Issues
– Medical problems are triaged and treated urgently based on assessment findings – infections cured, metabolic issues corrected, fractures set and pinned, lacerations repaired under anesthesia.
Recovery Housing
– Birds are housed in climate-controlled enclosures suitable to their species with ample space. Environmental enrichment aids healing.
Nutritional Support
– Balanced diets provide optimum nutrition and Hand or tube feeding help emaciated birds regain strength and weight.
Physical Therapy
– Stretches, massages, swim therapy, and supervised flight retraining help rebuild damaged muscles, bones, and stamina.
Monitor Progress
– Daily observation tracks recovery milestones – appetite and weight gain, mobility restoration, return of species-typical behaviors showing wellbeing.
Release Planning
– Once rehabilitated, wildlife veterinarians ensure birds have skills needed to survive in the wild before carefully planned release at suitable sites.
With attentive expert care, even seriously compromised birds can make amazing comebacks thanks to wildlife rehabilitation.
Preventative Measures
While rehabilitating downed birds is crucial, it’s also important to implement preventative measures to protect wild bird populations from harm in the first place:
Reduce Collisions
– Install visible window decals to prevent collisions. Turn off unnecessary lighting at night.
Limit Pesticide Use
– Avoid or strictly limit use of chemical pest control and fertilizers that can poison birds.
Keep Cats Indoors
– Pet cats allowed outdoors needlessly kill billions of wild birds yearly.
Dispose of Trash Properly
– Cover trash bins and pick up litter that can entrap or choke wildlife.
Plant Native Species
– Indigenous plants support local food chains and provide birds with nutritious natural foods and materials.
Install Birdbaths and Feeders
– Provide fresh water sources and supplemental feeding with native plants that invite birds into yards.
Protect Habitat
– Champion green spaces, oppose deforestation, keep shorelines and wetlands intact for ecosystems to thrive.
With conscientious environmental stewardship and wildlife-friendly practices, humans can coexist sustainably alongside wild bird populations. This minimizes the instances of injured and downed birds requiring rehabilitation.
How You Can Help
Caring people can assist birds that cannot stand and promote their wellbeing:
Volunteer
– Rehabilitation centers rely on volunteers for things like animal feeding, facility maintenance, transportation, administrative work.
Donate
– Funds help pay for medical supplies, food, critical upgrades like aviaries and incubators, wildlife releases.
Support Legislation
– Advocate for bird and wildlife protective laws in your community and nationally. Contact lawmakers.
Join Organizations
– Become a member and get involved with groups like wildlife rehabilitator associations that make a difference.
Report Abuse
– If you witness mistreatment, poaching, or hurting of wild birds, immediately report it to authorities.
Spread Awareness
– Follow rehabilitation centers on social media and share updates. Educate others about wild bird conservation.
Every action to protect birds and support those who aid them makes the world better for these magnificent creatures. With teamwork and dedication, we can all enhance the lives of the birds sharing our planet.
Conclusion
Discovering an injured or debilitated bird that cannot stand on its own can be worrisome. However, by following proper protocols, providing temporary supportive care, and transporting the bird to licensed wildlife rehabilitators, there is a very good chance it can fully recover. Rehabilitation centers have amazing success restoring birds to health through specialized medical treatments, housing, nutrition, and physical therapy. The public plays a key role in helping birds in distress by learning safe handling techniques, avoiding well-intentioned but misguided amateur rescue attempts, and supporting professional rehabilitation facilities in various impactful ways. With this joint compassionate effort, downed birds can ultimately return to the wild skies where they belong.
