I found a bird! What should I do….?

Window Strikes

If you find a bird that has collided with a window or have found a bird that seems to be dazed from a window collision, examine it for visible injuries. Most birds should be left to recover on their own, but if the bird has a noticeable injury, get it to a wildlife rehabilitator as quickly as possible.

We do not perform any wildlife rehabilitation. The closest registered animal rehabber is near Sudbury.

Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre

[email protected]
705-691-0433

Meanwhile, you may gently scoop up the bird and place it in a dark container such as a shoebox, and leave it somewhere quiet, out of reach of pets and other predators, for 20 minutes. If the weather is extremely cold, you may need to take it inside, but don’t keep the bird too warm. Do not try to give it food and water, and do not handle it. The darkness will calm the bird and give it space to revive safely, undisturbed. injured. Do not open the box indoors!

If the bird was injured in a window strike near your home, we encourage you to consider window decals for a permanent solution. Even the birds that visibly recover usually have some damage done to their navigation systems. This is a severe issue affects many birds during migration (estimates 25 million are killed in Canada alone by window strikes each year).

The best window decals are placed close together, about 2 inches apart, fully blocking the reflection which causes the bird to strike the window.

Baby Birds

If you find a baby bird, again access the situation. If the baby bird is visibly injured it should be brought to the nearest licensed wildlife rehabber.

If the birds eyes are not open, it is very young; a hatchling. Place it back in the nest if possible.

Nestlings will have their eyes open, but very few feathers. These birds should also be placed back int the nest. If you find a hatchling or nestling and cannot find a nest anywhere nearby, you may place them in a makeshift nest outside away from predators.

Any baby birds out of the nest with some visible feathers should be left alone, and not handled at all. Once birds have feathers they are ready to take care of themselves and should be left alone. If you can mitigate immediate danger in the area your fledgling will have better chances of survival.

Reporting a Band

Our research depends on the collaborative efforts of community scientists. Reporting bands contributes to our data collection efforts. If you find a dead bird with a band, or photograph the 9 digit code of a banded bird, report it at reportband.gov or call toll-free 1-800-327-BAND (2263) to leave a message.

Information to record and report when you find a banded bird:

  • number sequence on the metal band
  • other markers (if applicable) such as neck collar, wing tag, web tag, colour band, leg flag, geolocator (including alphanumeric code, colour and location of each marker)
  • species, sex and age of the bird (if known)
  • how the band number was obtained (bird watching, shot, found dead, injured, or trapped)
  • condition of the bird (alive, dead, in captivity)
  • date the band number was obtained and exact location
  • any other information (behaviour, other birds, time of day, etc.)
  • if you are unsure of any bands or did not see all parts of both legs clearly, indicate this in the report
  • your name, address, telephone number and email address

Additionally, we are conducting a special project where we colour-band black capped chickadees in Timiskaming District. If you see a colour banded chickadee, reach out to us directly at [email protected]