Found Bird Protocol

 
Thank you so much for rescuing and searching for this bird’s family. We are providing a few additional steps and suggestions that can be taken in order to widen the reach and locate this bird’s rightful owner.  

Remember, when posting a found bird on any social media platform or printed fliers for handout, never reveal the bird's band/ring number publicly. Band numbers should remain confidential as it is the owner's proof of  ownership and the rightful owner will provide this information to you when claiming the bird.  

1. Please do the following and join Avian Alert - US, UK, CA, AU and 911 Parrot Alert's facebook groups as soon as possible. Please post to the databases and websites within the attached link from the Resources For Lost And Found Parrots which are the most frequented for lost and found birds at resourcesforlostfoundparrots.blogspot.com/p/lost-found-bird-databases.html.     

* It is very important to keep leg band/ring numbers private and confidential. Do not disclose or share publicly this private information as this is the owner's proof of ownership.

2. Please sign up with and get a message posted to Nextdoor a free social networking service which will allow you to connect with and alert your neighborhood.

USA: nextdoor.com and ring.com/neighbors
Canada: ca.nextdoor.com
UK: nextdoor.co.uk
Australia: au.nextdoor.com/

3. Please get an ad posted to craigslist in order to reach out to the bird’s owner.

USA: geo.craigslist.org/iso/us
Canada: geo.craigslist.org/iso/ca and kijiji.ca/
UK: gumtree.com/uk
Australia: gumtree.com.au/
Africa: gumtree.co.za/

4. Please notify local vets, shelters, animal control, rspca, and rescues in your area and also consider having this bird scanned for a chip as there is a possibility this bird could be microchipped (budgies/parakeets are generally too small).  

USA & Canada: Please submit a found pet notice with the shelter and check 24PetConnect frequently.  

5.  Fliers can be made directly from the Resources for Lost and Found Parrots site which can be printed and shared to other lost and found Facebook pages, Instagram, Nexdoor and any other online site. 

Remember not everyone has social media. It would be recommended to distribute hard copies of fliers within your neighborhood, local area and community.  

Create Flier Here: resourcesforlostfoundparrots.blogspot.com/p/create-flier.html

6. Post your found bird to various facebook groups HERE.

7. Please be cautious of those who may want to adopt, falsely claim or take in the bird as birds are commonly targets of theft or cons. Please do a reverse google image search on any photos received as it may have come from the internet, ai generated or taken from another group. Dishonest people will try to trick you to get a free bird. Please do not give a found bird to anyone who is not confirmed to be the owner. 

Attached are some questions that can be asked to those who come forward to claim a found bird. resourcesforlostfoundparrots.blogspot.com/p/f.html.

8. It is very important to hydrate found birds and not allow them to feast on dry food such as seeds and pellets as it could dehydrate them even more and make them ill. Please hydrate first with water and make sure they are drinking. You may offer fruits such as watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, apples, kiwi fruit, cherries, pomegranates, applesauce or offer berries such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or a sprig of millet for smaller birds such as cockatiels, lovebirds, parrotlets or parakeets
. Attached please find a link which provides ideas of healthy food choices that can be offered to birds.
resourcesforlostfoundparrots.blogspot.com/p/healthy-foods-for-birds.html.    

9. If a found bird is injured or is fluffed up with wings drooping, this bird needs medical attention asap. Please know that delaying to get the bird care could result in its death. If a found bird was brought to you by a cat or other mammal or was scratched, bitten, attacked, please take the bird to the vet immediately for treatment. Bacteria found in the saliva and the mouth of a mammal can be fatal. Cat bites should be considered the most dangerous as birds succumb to these type of injuries in a very short amount of time even if it seems minor. Attached are links to help locate an avian vet should you need one.

ABVP: abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
AAV: aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803



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The material contained within the Resources for Lost and Found Parrots including the main home page, the individualized Lost, Found, Stolen and Sighting Bird Protocol links were created and written by Christine and Jamie Lee and are a part of and belong to the Resources for Lost and Found Parrots. 

The pinned post, group description, house rules, protocol comments, training materials, group banner, reunite sticker and flier formats that are being used by one of the largest lost and found bird facebook groups were also created and written by Christine and Jamie Lee.  

The Search & Retrieve Protocol for Birds PDF document was created and written by Carol Kessler and Ray Varella.  

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Resource Page Owners: Christine and Jamie Lee

We created the Resources For Lost And Found Parrots in 2015 to help the avian community with lost and found bird recovery. The avian community is more than welcome to use the Links from our pages to help with lost and found bird recovery within their own groups. We only ask that proper credit be given to the Resources For Lost And Found Parrots.