Bird in my kitchen....injured....need advice.

[Spy Dog]

We leave the back patio door open so that our dog can play outside (no room to put in a doggy door). Anyway, I'm upstairs and the wife screams that there is a little bird in the kitchen. I come downstairs to face the intruder. He must have tried to get back outside and flown into the window because he looks pretty paralyzed. I scooped him up and put him outside but he hasn't moved in 5 minutes, although he's alert.

What's my play?

[evil twin]

Put it somewhere safe and leave it. It probably gave itself a concussion and might well recover. Make sure it's out of sight of other bigger birds because they will come in and kill and eat it. If it hasn't recovered in two or three hours report back on its state.

Edit: By somewhere safe I mean somewhere outside where it can fly away.

[Spy Dog]

Thanks evil_twin. After about 15 minutes he flew away.

[Gunny Highway]

I thought this was going to be a recipe suggestion thread.

[PorkPieHat]

[rwanger]

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Make sure it's out of sight of other bigger birds because they will come in and kill and eat it.


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I'm no bird expert, but are you SURE about that?

[jaffa]

Thats generally true.

Especially with scavenger birds like magpies or birds of prey.

[CommanderCorm]

Crows even kill bigger mammals like rats and squirrels.

[evil twin]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks evil_twin. After about 15 minutes he flew away.

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Good stuff, glad to hear it's all fine.

Regarding the question about other birds coming in and killing it, it's pretty much a certainty. I grew up on a farm and have seen many nasty killings. Crows and Magpies will individually go after injured small birds and other creatures. When they are in a group they will tackle bigger prey. I've seen them kill rabbits, pigeons, doves and squirrels. I've seen magpies dive bombing a fox once but they didn't kill it.

I've also seen other smaller birds taking advantage when something is injured. Starlings pecking a pigeon to death, that sort of thing.