Occasionally, a bird will fail to recognize that there is a sheet of glass preventing it from landing on your houseplant, or flying straight through the house to the other side.  Injury from a collision with a window can range from a few “woozy” moments to serious injury and possibly death.  Using scare decals, etc. can help as a preventative measure, but here is what you can do to help the bird if he is lying on the ground unable to fly after a collision:

• If it is safe from predators, place an inverted laundry basket over the bird and watch from afar.  In most cases, the bird will recover quickly and be able to fly away a wiser bird when it “comes to” and the basket is removed

• If it does not recover quickly or if there are cats or other predators nearby, prepare a box with soft paper towels or T-shirt material on the bottom and holes punched in the top to let in air.  Gently place the bird in the box and place it in a very quiet, dark, warm place to see if the bird is able to recover on its own.    Always use caution and wear gloves when handling any kind of wildlife.

• If  you notice an obvious injury at any time—blood or a broken wing, etc, or if the bird in the box does not recover sufficiently (after a period no longer than 4 hours) to fly away when the box top is slowly removed, it is time to find a permitted wildlife rehabilitator and transport the bird.  See Transport Instructions. Do not feed or give water to an injured bird. 

• Note: Be careful to peek at the bird before completely removing the lid. You do not want to release an injured bird that might have recovered enough to fly out of the box, but would still need to be recaptured and taken to a rehabilitator.

If after reading the information above you believe you have found an injured bird, please contact a permitted rehabilitator.

Contributed by Beverly Guthrie

see complete article BIRDS, Those Backyard Jewels