VetGOA fledgling on the pavement, a swift that cannot take off, a pigeon after a cat or an owl in a box. An avian veterinarian looks at your bird and writes a plan for the first days — $99.
These are not stock photos. A buzzard, jackdaws, a woodcock, a long-eared owl and a roller — birds found in the street, in a park or in a garden and brought to Dr. Strelkov's clinic.
Most birds brought to the clinic were harmed not by the cat or the window but by the first hours with their rescuer. These three mistakes come up most often.
Birds cannot digest lactose, and bread and porridge clog the crop and ferment. In the first hours do not feed the bird at all — warmth and quiet first, then food for its species: insects for insect-eaters, seed for seed-eaters.
Water poured into the beak goes into the windpipe and the bird chokes. A dehydrated bird is given fluids differently, and that is one of the first things the plan covers. Alcohol and home remedies are not treatment but poisoning.
If a bird does not take off by itself, there is a reason: a fledgling, exhaustion, an injury. An injured bird thrown into the air falls a second time. This applies to swifts above all: a healthy adult swift takes off from the ground by itself.
From May to August most “fallen chicks” are fledglings: they left the nest at the right age, and their parents feed them on the ground for another week or two. Taking such a fledgling home means taking it away from its parents.
Put it on a branch or in a bush near where you found it, keep the cat away and leave. Help is needed only if the fledgling is wet, cold, bleeding or a cat has already had it.
If you can see the nest and reach it, put the nestling back: parents do not abandon it because of the smell of hands. If there is no nest — a box, warmth, and then a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or a veterinarian.
Each bird has its typical trouble, and it decides whether you can manage the first hours yourself or need a veterinarian.
Typical situation: It sits on the pavement and does not take off: thin legs, huge wings. Most often a fledgling that fell from under a roof too early, or an exhausted adult after cold days.
It eats only insects — crickets and roaches, not porridge or seed. Hand-rearing takes 2–4 weeks.
Typical situation: An adult pigeon sits in one place and lets you pick it up. The causes are injury, poisoning or infection. If it twists its head and topples over and the droppings are green, it is an infectious disease, and the bird is kept apart from everyone.
Pigeons can carry psittacosis and salmonella: gloves and hand washing are a must.
Typical situation: A small bird with a short tail hops around the yard and calls. Nine times out of ten it is a healthy fledgling fed by its parents. Help is needed if a cat has had it, it is wet or lying down.
A bare sparrow nestling is fed insects every 20–30 minutes during daylight.
Typical situation: A nestling or fledgling lies under a nest on a wall. If the nest is intact, the nestling goes back and the swallows accept it. If the nest is destroyed — a box with a warm water bottle and insect food.
Like a swift, a swallow does not eat seed or drink from a bowl.
Typical situation: In late May–June a young crow sits on the ground while the parents call and dive. It is a fledgling and is not taken. An adult crow that cannot fly is more often a wing injury or poisoning.
Corvids peck hard: pick them up through a towel and protect your eyes.
Typical situation: A black-and-white bird with a tail half as long as an adult's hops on the lawn. A magpie fledgling spends two weeks on the ground and in bushes with its parents nearby. Take it only if it is injured or a road and cats leave no choice.
Magpie chicks already taken in are fed like corvids — insectivore food, not bread.
Typical situation: A tiny nestling in down on the ground, or a tit that hit a window. Small birds get chilled within an hour and die of hunger within hours — time matters more here than with a pigeon.
After hitting glass — a dark box for an hour or two, then release or a veterinarian.
Typical situation: A large speckled thrush fledgling on the ground is normal; the parents feed it. A starling with blood on its head or a hanging wing has met a cat or a collision and needs to be examined.
A bird after a cat needs a veterinarian in the first hours, even without visible wounds.
Typical situation: A gull with fishing line or a hook, a duckling alone on the bank. A lone duckling is first searched for with its family — the mother is usually nearby. Gulls are large and aggressive; keep the beak away from your face.
Do not pull fishing line out by hand: the hook may be in the crop.
Typical situation: A fluffy long-eared owlet sits on the ground or a low branch. It is a fledgling, its parents feed it at night — it does not need taking, just lift it onto a branch. An adult owl on the ground during the day is almost always injured.
Owls grab with their talons suddenly and without warning: thick gloves only.
Typical situation: A large bird sits on the ground and does not fly off when approached, a wing drooping. A raptor that lets itself be picked up is seriously ill or injured. It is not raised at home: it needs a specialized center or a veterinarian experienced with raptors.
Talons are more dangerous than the beak — cover the bird's head with a towel and hold the feet.
Typical situation: A bird flew indoors and is hitting the glass, or lies stunned under a window. Turn off the light, open the window, do not grab it. A stunned bird — a box and quiet.
If you do not know the species, choose “Other” in the form and describe it: size, color, where you found it.
If your bird is not on the list — a parrot, a canary or an escaped pet bird — that is another page: consultation with an avian veterinarian for pet birds.
The difference is who makes decisions about your bird: you, following general rules, or the veterinarian, from your photos and description.
The basics from this page are enough when the bird is conscious, has no wounds or only small ones, and you can hand it over to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator soon.
The veterinarian looks at your bird: photos, video, droppings, how and where it was found and what you have already done, and writes a plan for your case.
A document you can print, forward to volunteers or a rehabilitator, or show at a clinic if you take the bird in.
Magpie fledgling, found 2 days ago on a lawn by a road
Concern: lethargic, has eaten only bread for two days, loose droppings, a drooping wing
Exhaustion and a digestive upset from unsuitable food. The drooping wing: an injury to be ruled out from video.
Few clinics accept wild birds, and a general practice vet may not know them. With the signs below, call the nearest wildlife rehabilitator or a clinic that accepts wild birds first; the report helps you and those who take the bird afterwards.
Even without visible wounds. Bacteria from saliva cause blood poisoning within a day; a veterinarian is needed in the first hours.
Bone is visible, a wing hangs and will not fold, bleeding does not stop within five minutes.
An open beak, the tail bobbing with each breath, wheezing, a bluish beak. A bird in this state does not tolerate stress.
Lies on its side, does not respond, throws its head back, twitches. Poisoning or a severe head injury.
Real reviews from public profiles, translated faithfully from the original. All reviews and sources
I want to express my sincere gratitude to Aleksandr for professional and timely help in treating our budgerigar. After a severe stress the bird stopped eating properly, and nausea and loose droppings appeared. In a small town it turned out to be impossible to find a competent avian vet, and treating him myself with activated charcoal only made things worse — he became lethargic, refused food, and became constipated. At that critical moment I turned to Aleksandr for a paid online consultation. He explained quickly and clearly what had to be done to restore the bird's health. Following his recommendations, our budgie recovered quickly and is enjoying life again.
We found Aleksandr and have come back to him more than once — with our parrots and with our dogs. The doctor always explains in detail what to do, helps with the diagnosis, and gives clear treatment and care recommendations. Thanks to him our pets always get qualified help, even at a distance. We are very glad to have found such a wonderful vet and recommend him to everyone without reservation.
A fourth-generation physician, Dr. Strelkov graduated with honors from the K.I. Skryabin Veterinary Academy. Over 18 years he has treated hundreds of avian and exotic cases, co-authored peer-reviewed publications, taken part in international veterinary programs, and built a 500,000-subscriber audience sharing evidence-based bird health advice.
With a found bird the first hours decide a lot. In the report he works from your photos and video: the species, the age, the injuries, the droppings and what you have already done, and tells you what to do now and who to hand the bird over to.
My goal is that you understand exactly what is happening with your animal and know precisely what to do next. I cannot promise miracles — but I will do everything modern veterinary science allows.
Dr. Aleksandr Strelkov
Wildlife rehabilitation centers are not everywhere, and many clinics do not accept wild birds. The online plan fills this gap: you know what to do in the first hours and what to ask, and you look for a center or a clinic for the specific need.
There may be a wait and a long drive. The plan helps you not lose that day: what to do before the handover.
Clinics that see birds exist, but not all accept wild ones — the plan tells you what to ask.
There is no avian vet nearby. The plan covers what to do while you look for help.
The consultation is in English and takes into account which food and medicines are available where you are.
First work out whether it is a fledgling or a nestling. A feathered bird that sits, hops and calls is a fledgling: its parents are nearby and feed it, so it does not need taking — just move it to a branch or a bush away from the road and cats. A bare or downy nestling with closed eyes has fallen from the nest: if you can see the nest and reach it, put it back. The smell of hands does not scare the parents off.
Nothing in the first hours. Bread, milk, seed and water from a syringe kill nestlings more often than hunger. Warmth and quiet in a box first, then a decision: return it to its parents, hand it to a rehabilitator, or feed it on a schedule for its species. Insect-eaters (swift, swallow, tit) and seed-eaters (pigeon, sparrow) are fed differently, and a mistake on the first day affects the bird's whole life.
A healthy adult swift takes off from a flat surface; that is a common myth. If a swift sits on the pavement and does not fly away, it is a fledgling, exhausted or injured. Do not throw it into the air: if it is injured, the fall can kill it. Swifts are the most common find in July and August, and they are raised on insects, not porridge.
An adult pigeon that cannot fly most often has an injury, poisoning or an infection. If it twists its head, topples over and the droppings are green and loose, it is an infection: keep the bird away from other birds and from children. Do not feed it bread. Assessing the symptoms from photos and video is what the written report is for.
No. Cat saliva carries bacteria, and even a puncture hidden under the feathers causes blood poisoning within a day. A bird after a cat needs a veterinarian in the first hours, not watching and waiting. This is one of the situations where a veterinarian is essential.
Put it in a dark box with holes, leave it in a quiet warm place for one to two hours and do not handle it. If the bird recovers and is active, release it where you found it. If after two hours it is lethargic, cannot keep its balance, there is blood from the beak or an eye is closed, it needs an examination: concussion and internal injuries do not pass by themselves.
Pigeons, crows and gulls can carry psittacosis and salmonella, and feathers can carry mites and lice. Handle the bird with gloves or through a towel, wash your hands, keep children and pets away and the box separate. Raptors and owls are handled only with thick gloves: talons injure more than the beak.
To a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or a wildlife rescue center; many regions have a hotline. Not every clinic accepts wild birds. If there is no option right away, the report helps you with warmth, feeding, monitoring and the signs that mean a clinic, until the handover. In many countries keeping a wild bird long-term without a license is not allowed.
If the bird has recovered and flies, its place is in the wild. Only a bird with a permanent injury that cannot survive in the wild may need a lifelong home, and that is decided by a licensed rehabilitator. Healthy wild birds should not be kept as pets: they cope badly with captivity, and most species are protected by law.
Written consultations are answered in order of the queue, within 24 hours of submitting the questionnaire. Right after payment you receive a link to the questionnaire by email, where you can describe everything in detail. If the bird is unconscious, has an open fracture or breathes with effort, take it to a rehabilitator or a clinic first.
No, the consultation is written. If the veterinarian needs to see something, he will ask you for photos or video.
Describe who you found and what is happening. The veterinarian sends a report after the questionnaire and photos.
Help the bird you found