You just lost a bird...what to do?

[Jojo]

The first thing to do when you lose a bird

• Maintain eye contact with him as long as possible.
• Note the last place you saw him and if he looked tired.
• Run up to get your carrier with a water bottle and his favorite treats and do not forget your cell phone. A bird used to receive rewards will crave for it. In addition, he will surely be thirsty.
• Return as soon as possible to the last place seen and call him,. Let him know you’re there. Stop from time to time and listen.
• Perform your search within a radius of 1 km of the place you lost him. If the bird has flown, he will not go very far unless he is taken by surprise by the wind, chased by other birds or he is afraid of something.
• Pay attention to the sounds of wild birds. They vocalize a lot more if your bird is near them, since they consider any unknown bird as an intruder.
• If you have another bird that gets along well with him, go get him. Put him in a small cage and put him on the ground, where your bird was last seen and walk away. The bird in the cage will vocalize while watching you walk away and it could draw your runaway bird to him.
• If you have another bird to attract him, talk as little as possible and change the cage location for 15 minutes, while always keeping an eye on the cage.

It is important not to lose sight of your bird. The first few hours are very important. You should therefore remain outside to find him. He is counting on you and if you don’t look for him, he will go looking for you and might go far away to do so.

If after a few hours, you have no eye contact with your bird:

• Gather as many people as possible so they can help you in your research.
• Hand out treats to each of them and do your research within a radius of one kilometer from the last place where your bird was seen.
• Repeat the words that you often say or play the recording of his song. You can also play the recording in your home so he remains in the area.
• Install the cage outside of your home and make sure someone is present at the scene to monitor the possible return of your bird.
• Remember to stop regularly to listen if he responds.
• Look around the trees if there are no green leaves on the ground. A bird that is not used to going outside will play with leaves trying to eat them. In most cases, your bird will see you before you see him and will sometimes remain silent because your presence secures him and he doesn’t want to attract predators to him.
• Look from underneath the trees to have a different point of view as some parrots are hard to see in the green foliage of the trees.
• Remember to look also at the base of trees, shrubs and cedar hedges.
• Talk to all those who cross your path. The more people know and the better your chances of finding him.


What to do when you have your bird back in sight :

• Think strategy. If the bird seems tired, it's the right time to try to retrieve him.
• Bring his companion bird or favourite human for him to see.
• Do not stretch an unfamiliar object to him. This may scare him.
• Send someone to fetch a stick with which he is accustomed.
• Do not make any sudden movements.
• If your bird seems to want to fly away, stop moving.
• One way to invite your bird to come back to you is to offer him a treat. Another way is to fake walking away from him saying goodbye.
• If your bird is out for several hours and he is used to eat with you, eat something in front of him. This could be the little extra needed to get him back to you.
• Birds relief themself before flying. Be alert for these signs.
• Avoid having too many people around his favorite human, and be in an open area. Give him enough space to return to you.
• Birds often move one last time before sunset and then go to sleep. So it's your last chance of the day to retrieve it. If your bird is inflated to sleep, it is best to let it go and come back the next day before sunrise. Your bird should be in the same place, unless an owl has scared him.
• At night, the birds fly only very rarely. So take the opportunity to prepare posters with his picture to include a reference contact information. Print out at least 250.
• Prepare binoculars to help you see your bird’s movements in the trees.
• Bring with you a topographic map of an area of 5 km in order to note where you have distributed posters.

Most birds are recovered within the first 24 hours. Then, at dawn, repeat again the same steps on your way to last place you saw him and take the opportunity to distribute your posters made up the day before.

Last resources

If you lose track of your bird, you should contact as many people as possible and as quickly as possible. So when evening comes :
• Prepare a list of people, organizations and others to contact and their email address and telephone number, including the SPCA, veterinarians, pet shops, animal control, shelters, zoos, police, radio, TV and classified advertisements in newspapers to place an ad. Also check for topics of found birds.
• Publish a search on as more websites as possible, including Kijiji, LesPAC, forums, etc..
• Check the database Perroquetsecours.
• Repeat the same steps at dawn and on the way, put up posters at various locations, hydro posts, the post office, at City Hall, in grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, etc.. ..

Losing a bird is probably one of the most difficult experiences in life. There are feelings of guilt, anger, fatigue, sleepless nights wondering where he can be, if cold or hungry or is safe somewhere. Life seems to stop and there's hope again when the phone rings and then there’s disappointment. At this point, you are vulnerable and some people may try to take advantage of it.

The only way to recover your bird is to do everything in your power to do so.

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