BIRDS – GENERAL

Get InvolvedMake a Donation

First determine if the bird needs to be rescued

A bird is hurt or sick and must be rescued if..

  1. It is unable to flap its wings
  2. Its wings are dropping unevenly
  3. It is weak or shivering
  4. It has been attacked by another animal
  5. It has been in the mouth of a cat or dog

A bird is a hatchling or nestling and must be rescued

  1. 1. If it doesn’t have feathers, and cannot be put back in the nest.
  2. A bird is a fletching (still young, feathered, and dependent on its parents for survival) must be rescued if it is on the ground and…
    1. If it is in danger from people or animals
    2. Its parents are not nearby or not feeding them
  3. A bird is a fletching and DOESN’T NEED to be rescued if
    1. It is hopping in the ground, it is safe from people or other animal and its parents are feeding them.

  

 How to rescue a bird

  1. Prepare a carrier .

Place a clean cloth (no strings) on the bottom of a cardboard or shoebox or pet carrier. The box must be big enough to allow the bird to stand up fully or turn around.

If the bird has a fractured leg or wing, placing a towel will help limit the bird’s movement.

Make some air holes on the carton box .

2. Protect yourself

Wear gloves if possible. Some birds may cause you injuries with its beak and claws even if sick or injured. Birds also have parasites (mites, ticks, fleas) and carry diseases (even if only very few of them affect humans).

  1. Gently pick up the bird and put it in the prepared carrier
  2. Cover the bird with a light sheet or towel.
  3. Warm the animal. If the environment or the bird is cold, or if the bird is a nestling or fletching. Use a heat pad or a plastic bottle with warm water with a screw lid, to keep the bird warm during transport. Birds die from hypothermia, what seems warm to you may be cold for the bird, the bird must be as warm as the palm of your hand.
  4. Do not feed or put water on the mouth of any bird, you can kill it.

Keeping the bird warm is the most important thing you can do to help the bird until you get help.

What to do with the bird

  1. Injured birds will benefit from going to a vet immediately if possible or to an experienced carer to be assessed.
  2. Baby birds need to go to an experienced carer as soon as possible.
  3. Please call SANAR or another wildlife organization for help or advice if you find a bird in need of help.

    There are many species of native birds found in Australia. Each species has their own unique ways of feeding. The different types of feeding methods are: (please press on the links to go to the different feeding types and see their descriptions). 

    Most often birds come into care, due to the following reasons:

    • Orphan
    • Sick
    • Injured (hit by car, cat/dog attack)
    1. Many birds, including species of gulls, raptors and ducks, undergo a change in eye colour as they age from juvenile to adult. This is likely an adaptation that helps these birds recognise maturity and therefore suitability of a potential mate.
    2. Lorikeets are parrots, but they are not grain eaters, they are nectivores. 
    3. The smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird
    4. The largest bird in the world is the ostrich
    5. There are over 10 000 different species of birds in the world!
    6. Flamingos are actually born grey. They become pink because of an orange pigment (beta carotene) contained in their food.
    7. Flamingos are only able to eat when they are upside down
    8. The largest wingspan in all living birds is found in the albatross
    9. The oldest living bird in the world is Wisdom the Laysan albatross, at the grand old age of 70
    10. Birds communicate using their bodies, calls, dances or songs
    11. The longest migration, with a round trip of 35 405 km is done by the Arctic Tern
    12. In the weeks before migration, birds enter hyperphagia, a period of bulking up on food to store fat that will sustain their long journeys. Some bird species will almost double their body weight prior to migration.
    13. As the days get longer, many of the migrating birds experience Zugunruhe (migratory restlessness). Meaning that their sleeping and eating habits will change for the upcoming journey.
    14. The beak of a Puffin will change colour. In winter it has a grey beak and in spring it is a vivid orange. 
    15. To make it easier to fly, birds have hollow bones. 
    16. The Hooded Pitohui of Papua, New Guinea is the only bird in the world that is poisonous
    17. Birds have a third inner eyelid, called the nictitating membrane, which sweeps horizontally across the eye. Using this eyelid, protects the eye from wind and dust, as well as lubricates the eye and assists aquatic birds with underwater vision
    18. Preening is when birds rub oil on their feathers from the uropygial gland (or preen gland) located at the base of the tail. This secretion conditions the skin and feathers, serving as a waterproof barrier, and has antibacterial properties
    19. Wondered how birds sleep in trees without falling?? It’s because their toes automatically clenches the perch using tendons compared to muscles.
    20. Wondered why bird faeces are white? Instead of producing urine, a bird’s kidney extracts nitrogenous waste and produces uric acid, which is excreted in the form of a white paste.
    21. Why does it look like birds knees bend backwards? It’s because they have super long feed. What we see as their ‘knee’ is actually their ankle. Their knees are higher up and hidden by feathers.
    22. Compared to humans, birds are able to see in ultraviolet. Meaning that they are able to see the world in more colours and vibrant. 
    23. Cold feet? That is not a problem for some birds. They have a special adaptation called a ‘rete mirabile’ which uses the warm blood which is heading to the feet to heat up the cold blood returning from the feet. 
    24. Wondered why birds stand on one leg? Most of the time, it’s to keep warm. 
    25. A bird’s plumage is like a down jacket. They are able to fluff out their feathers when it’s cold. Creating air pockets for additional insulation
    26. Feathers of warm colours (orange, red and yellows) are from the food that the bird eats. Whereas the dark colours (black and browns) are from ‘melanin’ the same pigment that is in the human skin
    27. Birds are able to see Earth’s magnetic fields, due to a special protein in their eyes.
    28. Adult bird feathers have microscopic hooks that interlock to protect the bird from wind and water, while the softer downy feathers on chicks are loosely arranged to trap air close to the body for warmth.
    29. Unlike mammals, birds have one opening, the “cloaca”, for excrement and reproductive activities. The word “cloaca” is Latin for sewer