Striking At High Speed Causes Major Injuries
Now that our local birds are busy mating, and building nests, we will unfortunately have more incidents of window hits (strike). Many of us know what its like to walk into a glass door (but never admit it) – so imagine what it would be like if you were flying at speed.
Birds don’t understand windows – they only see a place to fly beyond the glass the reflects trees and shrubs. Houses or buildings next to heavily treed areas or rainforest will be in the bird’s flight path. Sadly, the birds will hit windows with a huge amount of force and some larger birds, especially Fruit Doves and White-Headed Pigeons, can even fly through the glass causing nasty injuries.
We would prefer that all birds that hit a window get a check over by a carer or vet. Even if they appear fine to fly, that could be due to an adrenaline boost, but later on they could develop concussion or bleeding and bruising.
HOW CAN I HELP?
If the bird is still alive, approach slowly, cover with a towel and place in a cardboard box or similar. Cover the box to prevent escape and place it in a quiet, warm place until a rescuer or carer can collect it. You can also transport it to a local vet or ideally, to a wildlife hospital such as Currumbin Wildlife Hospital or the RSPCA (Wacol).
Either way – please get the bird to help – we prefer to observe them for 24 hours than see them receive no help. We always aim to release back to the wild.
HOW TO PREVENT A WINDOW STRIKE
- Hang something reflective in the window
- Use tape or glass pen to draw vertical lines on windows ten cm apart
- Put screens on the outside of the windows
- Keep bird baths or similar close to windows
- If you have a window that is hit regularly – keep blinds or curtains closed in the morning or late afternoon when birds are more active
By Sherryn Fraser
Registered Wildlife Rescuer, Rehabilitator and Vet Nurse
For Help With Wildlife, Please Call:
RSPCA 1300 ANIMAL
Wildcare 5527 2444