Bird rescue advice
With all rescues be alert to your own possible danger first.
Do's and Don'ts
When rescuing a bird on or next to a highway, put your own safety first.
Never attempt to rescue a large bird such as an eagle or an emu. These rescues require an experienced person to safely handle the bird.
If you are unable to perform the rescue and transport it to RRANA, then call RRANA. If you are unable to wait for a rescuer, if possible report the GPS location, note the road and location where you found the bird and clearly mark the side of the road where the bird is by placing a ribbon or some type of cloth on a nearby post.
If you are unable to contact RRANA call the nearest police station.
Do not keep any rescued bird as this increases its chance of dying.
Do not give the bird any water or other fluid as this is likely to drown the bird.
Do not try to feed the bird as there is a chance you may feed the wrong food to the wrong type of bird and make it sick.
Do not decide to keep a wild Australian native bird as a pet as this is illegal. Some native birds can be purchased and kept as pets, but wild native birds cannot.
Be mindful that stress alone can kill a bird. Keep a rescued bird in a warm and quiet place until help is available.
Q and A's
What should I do if I find a baby bird on the ground?
Make a note of exactly where the bird was found and stand at a distance to see if the parents are present.
Often young birds found on the ground don’t need to be rescued. After attempting to fly from the nest most fledglings (young birds) spend a day or more on the ground with parents in attendance feeding and defending them from danger while they practice flying. Some birds are hatched and raised on the ground but can often be in similar danger.
Note:
The parent birds provide their best chance of survival. If there is no imminent danger to a young bird on the ground and its parents are present, it is likely the young bird does not need to be rescued.
Be aware that a high percentage of birds in the wild die before they reach maturity and again staying with their parents is their best chance of survival.
The parent birds are attending to the bird but my dog (or cat) are in the yard. What should I do?
If it is possible for you to house your pets inside or in a different part of your yard for a couple of days then the young bird can temporarily be left where it is and allowed to hone its flying skills.
If it is not possible to leave the grounded chick until it can fly away from danger, then place the young bird in a box or cat carrier with a soft lining on the box floor, put it in a warm quiet room, covered with a towel to reduce stress then call RRANA or take it to a vet.
Always advise exactly where the bird was found. Without knowing this the bird cannot be returned to its parents and has a very limited chance of survival.
My pet (dog or cat) has grabbed a bird what should I do?
Birds grabbed by cats or dogs definitely need treatment for possible introduced infection as well as crushing injury. Without this treatment they will almost certainly die. Put the bird in a box or cat carrier with a soft lining on the box floor, in a warm quiet room, covered with a towel to reduce stress and call RRANA or take it to a vet.
What can I do with a bird found on/or on the side of the road?
Always be sure to put your own safety first before attempting a rescue.
Or call RRANA and advise the birds exact location to enable them to rescue the bird.
I have found a really sick looking bird, what should I do?
If in doubt don’t touch the bird, as some birds may carry diseases. Call RRANA and leave it up to them to safely rescue it.
There is a bird caught up in a tree with string on its legs. What should I do?
Give RRANA details of the tree location and we will endeavour to arrange a company with a bucket to assist in rescuing the bird.
There is a bird outside our window on the ground. It flew into the window. What should I do?
If you can, pick the bird up and place it into a box, then call RRANA to collect the bird.
