It happens so fast that you just don’t have time to prepare for it, but if you keep a pet bird its good to know what steps you must follow – just in case one day something happens & you see your bird fly out the door and out of sight.
You don’t have the time to sit & wish you had taken the time to get those wings clipped last week when you noticed that he had some new flight feathers. You just have to move fast to try to get him back.
If at all possible try not to loose sight of your bird. Follow him down the street & through some yards – calling him. Tell people what you are doing & ask for help as you go. If you don’t see anyone, keep following him anyway. If you loose sight of him – things become more difficult but it is not impossible to find him again.
When he lands he will be tired because he is not used to flying much in the home. It is very unlikely that he will come down to you when you call though because he is probably very frightened and is up higher than he has ever been before. This is the time you have to use to call friends & neighbours to help you. You need to have people situated in all directions to be able to follow him if he starts to fly again.
At this time, get your bird’s cage with his favourite treats & see if you can get it where he can see it so he may try to get to it. If you have another bird bring him along too so they can talk & possibly lure him back down.
You may be able to spray him with a hose – making sure you completely drench him so that when he tries to fly, he comes to the ground instead.
Unfortunately most birds are out of sight much too quickly and you have to be able to find him before you can get him back.
Put his cage outside – preferably up high so he can see it if he comes back.
Scatter his favourite foods around, both inside & outside the cage.
Make posters & distribute them around the neighbourhood – put one in all the mailboxes in the area, post them on poles and in stores and your community police station.
Phone the TV & radio stations & ask them to mention your bird.
Put an ad in the paper.
Call everyone you know & ask them to walk around where he was last seen. Ask all the children in the neighbourhood to look & to tell their friends.
Talk to the schools in the area & ask them to mention your bird in their daily announcements.
OFFER A REWARD!
Call the Humane Society, pet stores, veterinary offices, and any other business in the area.
Remember that the area for a bird can cover several miles. Don’t give up too early. Birds have sometimes been found several weeks or even months after they flew away.
Birds are most vocal just before sunrise & just after sundown so that is the time to be out searching. Walk or ride a bicycle instead of driving in a car, so you can hear as you are going. This way you can also talk to people that you see. Have your phone number and “lost bird” on pieces of paper to hand out to everyone you see.
At about day number 3 if you have not recovered him yet, he will be hungry and may approach people since he normally gets food from people. At this time he may be miles from home, so the more people that know about him the better chance you have that someone will be calling you about finding a bird. Make sure you can be reached at all times. Get yourself a pager or make sure you can get your phone messages while away from home.
I hope this never happens to you or your bird, but its a good idea to be prepared. Also, if you know anyone who is searching for their bird, perhaps you can help by giving them some much needed advice and your time.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to drop by the Bird Forum anytime.
After many years of pet bird ownership, I have decided to write e-books about the care of some of these wonderful birds.
You can find a sweatshirt or t-shirt made with adorable bird pictures at
