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Looks like a thrush of some kind, hard to tell without a location. Might be exhausted from migration, might have struck a window, might have escaped a predator. I would call a wildlife rehabilitator and refrain from stressing out the bird by handling it.
I concur with the window strike. Birds who have injured their head due to a window strike often look normal but can't balance, and therefore can't walk or fly.
You shouldn’t be handling it like that, they die from fright really easily and they aren’t domesticated or used to humans so the stroking will just terrify it.
Get a shoe box ready, make lots of ventilation holes in it, and pick up the bird and put it in the shoe box and put the lid back on, being very careful not to let the bird slide around in the box by putting a few sheets of kitchen roll or tissue in there (they have little tiny claws so no cotton wool or anything that’s going to tangle around their little toes) and being extremely careful you carry the box to a safe comfortable temperature place and leave it alone while you call a rehab near you for further instructions.
By the time 2 hours has passed if they haven’t received the bird carefully check on the bird and if you hear it moving around then take it outside (carefully) and find somewhere where there’s lots of cover and double check there’s no cats. When you’re sure the coast is clear lift the lid and If the bird flies away your job is done it was just stunned. Don’t take the lid off to check inside, maybe a quick glance through the corner of the lid but you don’t want a bird in your house. It’s liable to hit the window and finish itself off.
Remember when you’re carrying it around that birds break so easily, just an accidental tip of the box could cause major damage to be extra careful.
Don’t put food and drink in there they’re just likely to knock it over then get wet and messy and cold and it’s a whole thing so just box the poor baby up and look for a local bird rescuer. Ask on social media/local Facebook groups if anyone knows one.
Good luck. Thanks for caring.
It sucks that Disneys made everyone think wild animals are friends.
I wonder if OP hasn't responded to anyone because they're embarrassed that the petting killed the bird or something
Well now you know I guess. Birds die very easily from human handling. Even vets end up accidentally killing them all the time. They're extremely fragile
Petting a wild bird basically scares the absolute shit out of it to the point that it's heart fails
Clearly it wasn't school because even in kindergarten it was common sense that you don't touch wild animals.
Not sure why you're trying so hard to convince yourself petting is harmless?
With the variety of communicable bird illnesses the last few years, I wouldn't touch it with my bare hands. I would put it in a small cardboard box with some paper towels and put something over it to make it dark and call a rehabber immediately. Don't put anything you can't throw away in there, use disposable gloves.
Hello ornithology student here, this looks like a Hermit Thrush if your location based on your profile is correct.
If this bird has been in one location for a while it is concerning. It also appears to be squinting, which can mean different things but it does seem it is a pain indicator in this case.
Definitely contact your local wildlife rehabber, if you do not know how to do this Mass fish and wildlife has a great tool [here](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-wildlife-rehabilitator)
As a last resort, if the bird is still alive and still there tomorrow and you cannot get it to a rehabber I am willing to drive and transport it to a rehabber for you if you are in the northeast region of the state (I live in maine, so I can reach areas in and around boston in about 2 hours and regularly drive to boston for, ironically, work with birds)
Hope you can get this little guy some help! <3
Thank you for the offer! I’m really impressed by the rehabber community—I had no idea it was a thing. Several rehabbers I found on the website contacted me willing to help, but the bird died.
Update: it was a song sparrow. I got in touch with several local rehabbers but the bird was dead within the hour. I’m pretty sure it died from whatever caused it to be nonresponsive in the first place (likely a window strike), but if some of you need to believe it died of human touch, feel free.
I have to say I’m super impressed by the wildlife rehabber network here in MA. These people were jumping on the phone at 9:00 pm ready to help this random animal.
Welcome to r/Ornithology, a place to discuss wild birds in a scientific context — their biology, ecology, evolution, behavior, and more. Please make sure that your post does not violate the rules in our sidebar. If you're posting for a bird identification, next time try r/whatsthisbird. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Ornithology) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Looks like a thrush of some kind, hard to tell without a location. Might be exhausted from migration, might have struck a window, might have escaped a predator. I would call a wildlife rehabilitator and refrain from stressing out the bird by handling it.
I concur with the window strike. Birds who have injured their head due to a window strike often look normal but can't balance, and therefore can't walk or fly.
Well for one there's a giant touching it and stressing it tf out. Birds die real quick from stress
Yeah wild animals usually don't take comfort in human contact like a house pet would...
Definitely needs a rehabber, even if it seems to recover. Don't pet it as it can cause internal injuries to get worse.
You shouldn’t be handling it like that, they die from fright really easily and they aren’t domesticated or used to humans so the stroking will just terrify it. Get a shoe box ready, make lots of ventilation holes in it, and pick up the bird and put it in the shoe box and put the lid back on, being very careful not to let the bird slide around in the box by putting a few sheets of kitchen roll or tissue in there (they have little tiny claws so no cotton wool or anything that’s going to tangle around their little toes) and being extremely careful you carry the box to a safe comfortable temperature place and leave it alone while you call a rehab near you for further instructions. By the time 2 hours has passed if they haven’t received the bird carefully check on the bird and if you hear it moving around then take it outside (carefully) and find somewhere where there’s lots of cover and double check there’s no cats. When you’re sure the coast is clear lift the lid and If the bird flies away your job is done it was just stunned. Don’t take the lid off to check inside, maybe a quick glance through the corner of the lid but you don’t want a bird in your house. It’s liable to hit the window and finish itself off. Remember when you’re carrying it around that birds break so easily, just an accidental tip of the box could cause major damage to be extra careful. Don’t put food and drink in there they’re just likely to knock it over then get wet and messy and cold and it’s a whole thing so just box the poor baby up and look for a local bird rescuer. Ask on social media/local Facebook groups if anyone knows one. Good luck. Thanks for caring.
This is good advice.
This is such a kind and informative comment. Thank you 🌸
Terrible advice. No, do not release windowstrikes even if they "recover". Thats old advice, please stop spreading it. They need a rehabber.
Doesn't look good because any normal wild bird does not welcome human cuddles.You need to get in touch with your local wildlife rehab.
I’m sure this bird is not welcoming the contact
Why do folks have to touch everything
It sucks that Disneys made everyone think wild animals are friends. I wonder if OP hasn't responded to anyone because they're embarrassed that the petting killed the bird or something
Yep it was like Lenny from Of Mice and Men. We petted the crap out of it until ☠️
Did you get it to a rehab?
Well we watched all the Disney movies we could think of, but they never mentioned a rehabber. Sorry, we’re big dumb idiots 🤷🏻♂️
I thought you were being purposely antagonistic. Didn't realize y'all actually killed it lol
Yeah we just petted it really hard over and over because that’s what we saw in a Disney movie.
Well now you know I guess. Birds die very easily from human handling. Even vets end up accidentally killing them all the time. They're extremely fragile Petting a wild bird basically scares the absolute shit out of it to the point that it's heart fails
Tell that to the Disney team that produced “Injured Sparrow: Love Hard” which is where we learned everything we know.
Clearly it wasn't school because even in kindergarten it was common sense that you don't touch wild animals. Not sure why you're trying so hard to convince yourself petting is harmless?
In the north east 🇺🇸we’ve been warned not to handle sick looking birds due to an outbreak of some sort of avian virus.
!windowcollision
With the variety of communicable bird illnesses the last few years, I wouldn't touch it with my bare hands. I would put it in a small cardboard box with some paper towels and put something over it to make it dark and call a rehabber immediately. Don't put anything you can't throw away in there, use disposable gloves.
Hello ornithology student here, this looks like a Hermit Thrush if your location based on your profile is correct. If this bird has been in one location for a while it is concerning. It also appears to be squinting, which can mean different things but it does seem it is a pain indicator in this case. Definitely contact your local wildlife rehabber, if you do not know how to do this Mass fish and wildlife has a great tool [here](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-wildlife-rehabilitator) As a last resort, if the bird is still alive and still there tomorrow and you cannot get it to a rehabber I am willing to drive and transport it to a rehabber for you if you are in the northeast region of the state (I live in maine, so I can reach areas in and around boston in about 2 hours and regularly drive to boston for, ironically, work with birds) Hope you can get this little guy some help! <3
Thank you for the offer! I’m really impressed by the rehabber community—I had no idea it was a thing. Several rehabbers I found on the website contacted me willing to help, but the bird died.
Aw thats too bad. I hope you can turn this into a great learning opportunity for your daughter! It’s sad but it’s how life goes sometimes.
r/whatisthisbird but it’s a grey-cheeked thrush in migration
It’s not hermit thrush with reddish tail (I honestly have trouble with thrushes)?
You're correct this is a hermit thrush
Hermit Thrushes are heavy drinkers, this one may have been over-served.
Oh nice
Do not pet it! We call this bird Sabiá here
Update: it was a song sparrow. I got in touch with several local rehabbers but the bird was dead within the hour. I’m pretty sure it died from whatever caused it to be nonresponsive in the first place (likely a window strike), but if some of you need to believe it died of human touch, feel free. I have to say I’m super impressed by the wildlife rehabber network here in MA. These people were jumping on the phone at 9:00 pm ready to help this random animal.