Birds see humans as predators, if a bird sees you approaching it, it will fly away in order to protect itself and to avoid a confrontation with you.
If you approach a bird, and it does not fly away, then you should be concerned. This article looks at why this happens
Table of Contents
Bird not flying away:
Birds won’t, or can’t, fly away from humans for a variety of reasons. Below are reasons why birds don’t fly away when you approach them.
Sick:
Both wild and domesticated birds can become sick. Sick birds don’t advertise that they’re sick to other animals out of fear of being attacked by a predator.
That being said, there are some signs that communicate that your bird is sick, the bird not flying away is one sign that a bird is sick.
Other signs that indicate that a bird is sick include, trouble breathing, excessive drinking, limping, squinting, sitting very still, droopy wings, roosting in open areas, having their head to one side.
What to do:
Figuring out why a bird is sick can be a long and unfruitful activity for anyone who isn’t a wildlife rehabilitator and for anyone who is not a vet.
A variety of bird ailments exist, figuring out which ailment your bird is sick with can take a long time, waiting too long to figure out what your bird is sick with can make the bird’s sickness progress and make the bird worse.
The best thing you can do for your sick bird is to take the animal to a professional who can quickly tell you what is wrong with your bird health-wise.
The professionals will examine your bird and offer treatment if treatment is available.
Injured:
Birds can become injured in a variety of ways, they can be attacked by a predator, attacked by your domestic animal, can be hit by a car or, they can be injured while trying to separate from netting.
Any of these scenarios can cause the bird to injure its wing and an injury can prevent the bird from being able to fly away when you approach it.
What to do:
An injured bird is also likely in shock as a result of the attack. If the bird has any injuries then you’d need to get the bird to a vet or to a wildlife rehabilitation center as quickly as you can.
The people at these centers will calm the bird down as soon as the bird arrives. The shock from the attack can kill a bird just as the injury can.
After being treated for shock, the bird will be given subcutaneous fluids, pain medications, and antibiotics to treat the injury. The bird will then be monitored to see if it recovers.
If the bird does not recover, then the bird will be euthanized.
Stunned/shocked:
Birds knock into windows quite often, more often than many of us know.
If a bird knocks into a window then the bird may go into shock and will end up on the ground and will not move, a shocked bird will not fly away as you approach it, the shock will leave the bird momentarily paralyzed
What to do:
If a bird is in shock, and can’t fly away when you approach it, it won’t be able to fly away when predators try to approach it either.
If you think that the bird is in shock then you can keep it safe by placing it in a warm dark and sheltered place until it recovers from this shock.
When picking the bird up, make sure that you protect yourself, wear gloves to handle the bird, and make sure to wrap the bird in a towel creating a barrier between your gloves and the bird.
The bird should ‘wake up’ after taking some time to recover from the shock.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, if a bird is not flying away when you approach it you should be very worried, a bird won’t fly away if it is ill, if the bird is injured, or if the bird was stunned.
Giving the bird medical attention, or keeping the bird in a warm, quiet place will be of help to the bird.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Bird Twitching Head, Bird Floppy Neck, How To Tell If A Birds Neck Is Broken, My Cat Caught A Bird And It’s Still Alive,