Injured bird in garden

longwalks1

Theres a fairly large bird in our garden, brown and bigger than a starling, and its hopping around but clearly cant fly, as a huge animal lover, what can I do please?

DaftyDuck

Probably nothing, difficult though it may be. It sounds like a juvenile blackbirds and, although it may not be able to fly now, it may be able to do so in a few hours. Parents may well be feeding it, even if you don't see them.

If you catch it, or move it, they will desert it, and it will die. It may be difficult to accept, but you MUST leave it alone.

andrewf75

If it looks otherwise healthy just leave it. Its a youngster which might not quite have mastered flying.

Last year I had a jackdaw which had been attacked by a cat or something and was writhing around unable to even walk properly and I put it out of its misery, but doesn't sound like this is such a drastic case.

longwalks1

Thanks everyone, sadly got home at 2pm and the bird was dead in the garden. Thanks for your advice anyway though....

Andrew, for future reference, can I ask how you put the jackdaw out of its misery, god forbid i have to do it anytime, as I am pretty squeamish

tired_dad

local vets usually take injured wild animals in for free. I think they euthanise them unless improving rapidy.

tightasagnats

If you have an injured bird such as after a cat/car has got a hold of it, and it's dying/suffering, then you have to break it's neck with a quick twist for a tiny bird or a very hard pull for a larger one. It's a terrible thing to have to do, but it stops it suffering. Vets will do it but by the time you get there and wait it'll have suffered far longer.

It does sound like you had a blackbird. The females are also brown.

We rescued an injured/nest fallen USA young robin years ago in New York, fed it mashed egg yolk and rehydrated dog kibble through a pipette on vets advice. It recovered, flew off into the woods, but lord only knows whether it made it. I like to think so, but realistically, most unlikely.

andrewf75

britishboy wrote: »

Andrew, for future reference, can I ask how you put the jackdaw out of its misery, god forbid i have to do it anytime, as I am pretty squeamish

I basically got a big axe and crept up behind it....

not very sophisticated but easiest way I could think of and definitely quick and painless! Not pleasant but it could have suffered for hours so I know I did the right thing.

Ebe_Scrooge

andrewf75 wrote: »

I basically got a big axe and crept up behind it....

I had a similar thing a few years ago - a bird had been "had" by a cat and was obviously beyond help. I've got a massive heavy shovel ( it was actually "procured" by a friend who worked for the electricity board about 20 years ago ! ), it weighs an absolute ton ( Christ knows how the lads used to spend all day digging with it ! ).


A well-aimed and very vigourous whack totally flattened the poor thing instantly.


I was trembling afterwards. I know without any doubt that I'd done the right thing, and that I'd killed it instantly, and that if I hadn't done it, it would have just had a very slow death. But still, it was a horrible thing to have to do