The following information has been compiled from numerous bird sites and years of experience from bird owners.

YOU can make the difference of whether this feathered kid (FID) will see its family again. 

 Also, please read the information "Escaped Bird Recovery"

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

What you have found isn't "Just a Bird", it is a FID (feathered kid). When a person loses a bird their feelings of guilt and helplessness are common. Depression is not uncommon. Many people spend years trying to find them. Please bear in mind it can take weeks or months to locate the owner. 

If the bird landed on your shoulder or at your feet, or somewhere nearby and appears to be in very healthy condition, its quite possible that it has just flown away, and his owner is very close and frantically looking for him. Pet Birds do not live in the wild in North America. If you find a Pet Bird, it is a Lost Bird. Not to mention that a healthy wild bird, would never come to a human willingly. And if you think it is fate and you are meant to keep this bird, you're wrong. This bird has come to you for help because you are a person, and people bring food and shelter etc. It just wants to go home to it's family, it's flock, all it knows.

Please do not feel that you have the right to keep any bird you find.  For some reason, many people who find a bird will go out & buy a cage with the intention of keeping it, instead of looking for the owner. If they find a dog or a cat, these same people will put a found ad in the newspaper or post FOUND fliers. Think how you would feel if you had lost your pet and never found it. Remember that someone out there is missing their FID and are sick with worry about it. Do what is right, and try to get this bird back home where it belongs. The bird may need medical attention or medication. Or could need a special diet. In reality, it is not your bird to keep. *

Remember, people go on vacation, go away on business, go in the hospital, etc., and the bird's caretakers accidentally let them out. The owner returns and are devastated to find their bird gone. They are even more devastated to find that their bird has been given away, or never reported as "found" and they never are given the chance of them to find them.

Warning, you most likely will receive several calls from people saying 'I'll take the bird if you can't find the owner'.  It can take a minimum of 3 days for a "lost" ad to appear in local newspapers.  It can take longer if they are out of town. The owner is most likely looking for their bird, but you haven't seen the ad yet.  When they do call, please don't assume when someone calls you that it "can't be their bird" because they are not in the same town. Fully flighted birds can fly up to 50 miles a day and/or be transported by car.  If it truly is the persons bird they will have a picture or some type of identification to prove it.

If you decide to foster the bird yourself, please give it a few months before you let someone adopt it. Also, please note, birds require very special diets. Also, they can be killed by many simple household items, such as Teflon, aerosols, ceiling fans, cat saliva, just to name a few.  If you do decide to foster the bird we can give recommendations to help you.

If you do not have bird experience, or cannot keep this bird until the owner is located, please let us know at our Contact Link.  A 911 Parrot Alert volunteer will find a foster home in the area while we are looking for the owner.  We are dedicated to reuniting these birds with their owners.

*excerpts from Feathers in Distress