The most important thing I want you to know if your bird is lost, is that it doesn’t mean he or she is lost forever. This firm knowledge comes from my 15 years of experience with lost birds. I’ve seen large numbers of lost birds successfully found again. So please throw away the common, yet incorrect, belief that lost birds are never found. It’s not only untrue, it’s unhelpful because it paralyses action, which vastly reduces the chances of finding your bird. Birds are usually found very quickly, most often in the first few days, so speed is of the essence to find a lost bird.
Another surprising fact is how far a flighted bird (with unclipped wings) can fly… a long way! A large parrot from Onehunga was found in Anawhata on the West Coast. That’s about 35 km east in a straight line as the crow (or parrot in this case) flies.
A cockatiel from Drury was found 23 km away in Mercer in the hall of an old cottage saying “hello? hello…?”. The elderly occupant said she nearly had a heart attack as she thought she had an intruder!
Ernie and her owner reunited. Source: East & Bays Courier
Ernie the Alexandrine was found 5 kms away from her home in Meadowbank at Glendowie. She flew into a house and headed straight for the kitchen, looking for food. So, the finder gave her crackers and looked online, immediately seeing Ernie.
Tips to find a lost bird
1) List your lost bird on a New Zealand wide service. Check for found birds daily.
2) Find out from your local vet and SPCA if there are bird rescues in your area you need to check as well.
3) Check any pet shops in the area and leave a flier there. Unfortunately sometimes people take found birds to a pet shop. However, the safest place to take a found bird is the SPCA, a bird rescue, or a vet.
4) List on your local community facebook pages.
If your bird has limited flight only, it is probable that he or she will be fairly close by. This could be your own garden, or only within a few houses, thinking in a circle. Talk with all neighbours and leave them a flier. Weather can affect distances too, for example in windy weather, a bird can fly further.
If your bird flies well, be open to the fact they may be close, or very far away, or somewhere in between. So you need big marketing over a wide area using instant and free methods like LostPet and social media.
Your bird is spotted, how can you catch him or her?
Bring the empty cage with you, bring seed, millet or treats. Attract your bird, by leaving out food. Leave the cage where your bird can see it with the door open for the bird to go “home”. Many birds enjoy the sanctuary of home, and will be happy to go back in. If your bird has a mate, bring the cage with their mate to attract the bird. If safe to do so, climb up with a small transport cage, or their familiar perch. Hopefully, your bird will stand on the perch. Then you can then transfer them into the carry cage. You will know your bird and what they are most likely to respond to. For example, my budgie, Lemon, loves egg cartons, so I would use an egg carton to attract her to ride to saftey on!
Settling back in
Once home, birds can be quieter than normal as they recover from the trauma of their adventure. Keep them out of draughts and provide high quality food to recover. Occasionally people will say their birds personality is a bit different, sometimes they don’t talk for a few days. However this is usually temporary and once they settle down they should be back to their old antics.
So in summary, to find a lost bird, act fast in the knowledge that lost birds ARE found again. I can’t guarantee every single bird will be found, but many are. I hope yours will be too.