The bird will generally take 4 to 6 hours to recover from shock if there are no other major medical issues or injuries sustained – if it doesn't – seek advice. While the bird is in shock, don't force it to eat or drink.
Do not try to force feed or give water to the bird. Take the bird outside and open the box every fifteen minutues to see if it is able to fly away. If it is still staying put after a few hours, you can try to find a local wildlife rehabilitator. Click here to locate a Wildlife Rehabilitator by county.
Birds that are in shock appear weak, unresponsive, fluffed up and breathe in slowly and out quickly. Place the bird in a quiet, semi-dark, warm, humid environment. Warmth is essential in getting birds through a state of shock – temperature should be between 25 and 30 degrees.
Wild birds can carry several diseases that are infectious to people, so do not touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds that you find.
Place the wild bird in a cardboard box and cover it with a lid or towel. Then place the box in a cool, safe place to give the wild bird time to recover from the shock of the injury. Be careful when handling the injured bird; use gloves to protect yourself from any disease or germ.
Many stunned birds will sit quietly as they recover, perhaps with their wings slightly drooped, and if they are in a safe area, they do not need to be moved. If the bird is unconscious or thrashing about, however, it may need additional care. Check for injuries.
Check the legs and feet for stiffness. The muscles in the legs and feet of dead birds will be stiff while birds that are just stunned will still have relaxed muscles in their feet and legs. Check the eyes. If you can see no blinking or movement in the bird's eyes, then it is probably dead.
Some birds can go into shock and can remain like that for several hours, which is why people often assume that they are dead, when they may not be. There is no exact time for a bird to stay in shock, as it depends on what has happened and the force at which they have hit or injured themselves.
When a bird is perched on a single wire, its two feet are at the same electrical potential, so the electrons in the wires have no motivation to travel through the bird's body. No moving electrons means no electric current. Our bird is safe, for the moment anyway…
The muscle becomes rigid and the bird becomes stiff, which is rigor mortis. Rigor mortis development in poultry is rapid (one to 3 h in chickens and turkeys) compared to other species (12 to 24 h in beef) [11].
Birds are often in shock after colliding with a solid surface. If step B is not possible, allow the bird time to recover inside the container (1-2 hours). Do not attempt to feed or provide water to the bird.
RESPECT THE BIRD'S FEARS BY GIVING IT LOTS OF PRIVACY
OFTEN THE BEST THING WE CAN DO IS TO BACK UP AND GIVE THAT BIRD PRIVACY. Start by not interacting. Avoid direct eye contact. Open cage doors and reach inside as little as possible.
What happens to birds that hit windows? Sadly, the bird often dies, even when it is only temporarily stunned and manages to fly away. Many times these birds die later from internal bleeding or bruising, especially on the brain.
Birds sitting on a wire don't touch the ground (or anything in contact with the ground), so electricity stays in the power line. But, if a bird touches a power line and equipment or other metal that is grounded, it gives electricity a path to the ground, and the bird could be shocked.
Concussions, fractures or lacerations can all occur with head injuries. Birds can often recover quickly from seemingly serious head injuries.
We also know that parrots that have been abused suffer from PTSD-like symptoms, and respond negatively to whatever situations or objects remind them of the abusive instances. Like humans, these birds can be de-sensitized with appropriate training and care over time.
A stunned bird looks like it is limp and weak from the physical trauma. Cover the bird with a cloth to keep it warm and check on the bird every 20 minutes. Recovery time may take a few minutes and some may take up to 2-3 hours.
Put it back in the nest if it doesn't have feathers
If the bird is very small and still featherless, you should place it back in its nest. If you can't find the nest, put the bird on a branch safely out of reach of dogs and cats.
Safety First!
Do not bring dead birds indoors.
Scientifically known as thanatosis, or tonic immobility, playing dead occurs across the animal kingdom, from birds to mammals to fish.
The copper in electrical wires is a great conductor. Birds are not good conductors. That's one reason they don't get shocked when they sit on electrical wires. The energy bypasses the birds and keeps flowing along the wire instead.
Some electroreceptive animals are echidnas, platypuses, bees, spiders, dolphins, sharks and rays. Some types of bacteria, yeast and fish are also electrogenic.
(As shown in below fig). This way, birds and squirrels don't get electric shock because current doesn't flow through their bodies due to the same voltage level i.e. there is no potential difference. So the current will bypass their bodies as there is a short path with very less resistance (in case of copper wire).