I found an injured bird. What do I do?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Gently cover the bird with a cloth or towel, lift it into a ventilated cardboard box and keep it somewhere quiet, away from pets and children. Do not try to feed it or force water. Then call a bird hospital, wildlife rescue or animal welfare group and get it there as soon as you can.
If a kite string (manja) is wrapped round it or cutting it, do not pull the thread out and do not put turmeric, ointment or iodine on the wound: wrap the bird and take it to a vet or rescue. First check it really needs help: a feathered baby bird on the ground is often a fledgling its parents are still feeding.
What do you do in the first few minutes?
Calm, dark and quiet keeps a frightened bird alive while you find help.
1. Check it needs rescuing
A baby bird with feathers on the ground is often a fledgling whose parents are nearby. Leave it and watch from a distance; call a rescue if the parents do not come back. RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
2. Cover and lift
Loosely wrap the bird in a towel or soft cloth and gently place it in a secure, well-ventilated box, such as a carton with air holes. RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
3. Keep it quiet and still
Put the box somewhere safe, quiet, still and warm, away from noise, pets and children. RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
4. No food
Do not try to feed the bird while you get advice. RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
5. Get it to help
Take it to a vet or a nearby animal welfare group. Wildlife SOS advises wrapping the bird in cloth and getting it to a vet or rescue. Wildlife SOS
Is it cut by manja? What not to do
Kite string coated with powdered glass injures thousands of birds. The wrong first aid makes it worse.
If Thread wrapped round a wing or leg, or embedded in a wound.
Do not pull it out. Wildlife SOS warns that if the wound has clotted, pulling the string can restart bleeding. Wrap the bird and take it to a vet or rescue. Wildlife SOS
If An open cut on the wing or body.
Do not apply turmeric, iodine or any ointment. Cover the bird loosely with cloth and get it to help. Wildlife SOS
If A drooping wing or a bird that cannot stand.
Manja can cut through wings and cause fractures and nerve injuries. Keep the bird still in a box; do not test whether it can fly. Wildlife SOS
If A bird still tangled high on a tree or wire.
Do not climb or cut it free yourself. Call a rescue group with the right equipment (Petym's practical advice).
Why does manja hurt so many birds?
Wildlife SOS explains that fighting kite strings are glazed and coated with powdered glass so they slash an opponent's kite in the air. The same edge cuts through the sides of birds' wings and can cause fractures and nerve damage, and glass fragments can lodge in the wound. Pariah kites and barn owls are among the victims, and crows, pigeons and sparrows are hurt too.
Wildlife SOS reports that the National Green Tribunal banned synthetic and nylon manja. Injured birds still turn up every kite season, so this is when bird hospitals and rescue groups are busiest, and when it is worth saving a rescue number in your phone before you need it.
Can you look after the bird at home?
Only as a short stop on the way to help.
Most birds you will find in an Indian city are protected wildlife. The Wild Life (Protection) Act as amended in 2022 lists the black kite, all native owls, the house sparrow and the rose-ringed parakeet in Schedule I or II. The Act's definition of hunting includes capturing such an animal and every attempt to do so, and a scheduled wild animal kept in captivity against the Act becomes government property.
That is why the right role for a finder is first aid and transport, not care. Wild birds also need species-specific food, medicines and flight space that a home cannot give. Hand the bird to a vet, a bird hospital or a rescue group quickly, and if none is reachable, call your state forest department.
Who can you call?
Some examples from organisations whose pages we checked. Search for a bird hospital or wildlife rescue in your own city too.
North and west
Wildlife SOS helplines
Wildlife SOS lists 24x7 numbers for Delhi NCT (+91-9871963535), Agra (+91-9917109666), Gujarat (+91-9825011117) and Jammu and Kashmir (+91-9419778280, +91-7006692300). Wildlife SOS
Delhi NCR
Abhay Daanam Bird and Animal Hospital, Ghaziabad
A bird and animal hospital listed in Petym's Ghaziabad vet directory. Sansthanam Abhay Daanam
Gujarat
Jivdaya Charitable Trust, Ahmedabad
An animal hospital and rehabilitation centre listed in Petym's Ahmedabad vet directory. Jivdaya Charitable Trust
Tamil Nadu
Blue Cross of India, Chennai
An animal welfare organisation listed in Petym's Chennai vet directory. Blue Cross of India
Anywhere
Your state forest department
For protected species, or when no rescue is reachable. The forest department decides where a scheduled wild animal should go. MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text)
What helps and what harms?
Do
- Handle the bird as little as possible and keep its box covered and quiet. RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
- Keep pets and children away from the box. RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
- Wash your hands after handling it, and note where you found it so a rescuer knows (Petym's practical advice).
Don’t
- Pour water into its beak or try to feed it. RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
- Pull manja out of a wound, or put turmeric, iodine or ointment on it. Wildlife SOS
- Keep a protected wild bird as a pet once it recovers. Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research)
- Throw it into the air to see if it can fly. A wing hurt by manja may be fractured (Petym's practical advice).
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Questions owners ask
Should I give an injured bird water?
- No. RSPCA Australia's wildlife advice says not to try to feed the bird while you get help. Do not force water into its beak either. Keep it covered, quiet and still in a ventilated box, and get it to a vet, bird hospital or rescue group as soon as you can.
What do I do with a baby bird on the ground?
- If it has feathers, it is probably a fledgling learning to fly, and its parents are often nearby feeding it. Leave it and watch from a distance. If the parents do not return, or the bird is hurt or in danger from cats or traffic, call a local rescue for advice.
Can I keep a bird I rescued?
- Not if it is a native wild bird. Most city birds, including kites, owls, house sparrows and rose-ringed parakeets, are listed in Schedule I or II of the Wildlife Act, and capturing one counts as hunting. Hand it to a rescue, bird hospital or the forest department, who can release it once it recovers.
How do I help a bird cut by manja?
- Wrap it loosely in a cloth and put it in a ventilated box. Do not pull the thread out, because a clotted wound can start bleeding again, and do not apply turmeric, iodine or ointment, Wildlife SOS advises. Take it to a vet or rescue group quickly.
Who do I call for an injured bird at night?
- Try a 24-hour wildlife rescue line for your area, such as the Wildlife SOS numbers for Delhi NCT, Agra, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, or a 24-hour vet. Until help is available, keep the bird covered in a quiet, ventilated box away from pets, and do not feed it.
Keep reading
Words on this page, explained
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- RSPCA Australia knowledgebase: I've found an injured or abandoned bird, what should I do? (opens in a new tab)
- Wildlife SOS: Manjha menace: bird injuries on the rise due to kite flying (January 2022) (opens in a new tab)
- Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research): The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 (No. 18 of 2022), published 20 December 2022 (opens in a new tab)
- MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text): The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (opens in a new tab)
- Sansthanam Abhay Daanam: Contact us: Abhay Daanam Bird and Animal Hospital (opens in a new tab)
- Jivdaya Charitable Trust: Jivdaya Charitable Trust: animal hospital and rehabilitation centre, Ahmedabad (opens in a new tab)
- Blue Cross of India: Blue Cross of India (opens in a new tab)