{"id":440213,"date":"2025-12-11T13:55:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T13:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/440213\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T13:55:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T13:55:43","slug":"what-to-do-with-an-injured-bird-in-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/440213\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do with an injured bird in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Too often, New Yorkers encounter injured birds. It can be startling to see fluttering feathers on a sidewalk<\/a>, a small, struggling figure in the grass of Central Park or even a heartbreaking scenario of a bird hitting the windshield of a car during an afternoon drive. What can a person do\u2014if anything\u2014to help an injured bird in NYC?<\/p>\n

Bird and wildlife<\/a> professionals, offering their expertise, have provided clear and easy instructions that New Yorkers can use to help save an injured avian. The recommendations cover everything from immediate, basic precautions to the important contact information for specialized rescue organizations, guiding New Yorkers on the most effective steps to take to help save a hurt avian in NYC.<\/p>\n

What do do with an injured bird in NYC
\nWhich birds are most at risk of injury?<\/p>\n

Small songbirds and pigeons. And it is usually after they collide with glass, one of the biggest threats birds face in the city. In fact, experts say up to a quarter million birds are killed by building collisions in New York every year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The reason for the collisions is that birds do not see clear or reflective glass.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cGlass reflectivity and transparency create a lethal illusion of clear airspace that birds do not understand as a barrier,\u201d the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service<\/a> explains on its website. \u201cDuring the daytime, when most collisions occur, birds collide with windows because they see reflections of the landscape in the glass, or they see through glass to perceived habitat or to habitat or the sky on the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"brownThe reason for collisions is that birds do not see clear or reflective glass.Photo by Winston Qin<\/p>\n

Collisions happen when the sun goes down, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt night, during spring and fall bird migrations when inclement weather occurs, birds can be attracted to lighted structures resulting in collisions, entrapment, excess energy expenditure, and even exhaustion in some situations,\u201d the agency says.<\/p>\n

Saving the bird once you find it injured<\/p>\n

The most helpful thing a person can do for saving injured small birds is to gently contain them, and get them to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, Katherine Chen, senior manager of community science and collision reduction at NYC Bird Alliance (formerly NYC Audubon), said.\u00a0<\/p>\n