How to Catch a Bird in Your House: 4 Easy Steps

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Written by

Clinton Atkins

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FACT-CHECKED BY

George Dukes

how to catch a bird in your house

If you have a bird feeder in your yard, then chances are your feathered friends are likely to find their way inside your house. Because birds can get confused in unfamiliar territories, it’s crucial to know how to catch a bird in your house.

When birds are trapped, you need to calm your senses and create a strategy to guide the birds to an exit. Learn how to do this below.

Guide to Take in Freeing Birds From Your House

bird-trapped-in-house

Materials Needed

Birds can sometimes get lost inside houses. Avians don’t have an inkling as to what a ceiling or glass window is, and their bodies are not strong enough to handle collisions.

That’s why it’s imperative to follow the best way to lead the lost birds to the outdoors. Also, remember that it’s illegal to harm birds.

Here are the tools needed:

  • Gloves
  • Glass window cover
  • Hand soap
  • Net
  • Lightweight towel
  • Cardboard box
  • Animal rehabilitator number

Step 1: Keep Calm

If you see a bird lost inside your home, it’s quite normal to feel agitated, but you need to keep yourself calm in order to be helpful to the bird.

Step 2: Eliminate Dangers

Eliminate the immediate danger to birds inside your house. Do these steps quickly and quietly, so as not to stress the bird further. Time is of the essence, especially since the bird will not stay in one place for long.

When birds are trapped inside your house at night or in the morning, you need to understand that they’ll always fly upwards. It’s their first instinct, but usually, that leads to disaster.

  • Turn off fans

Before you make a plan on how to get a bird out of a building, turn off all the running fans. The bird can get caught in the blades or get tangled with the fan.

So turn off the fan, not just in the room where the lost bird is, but also in other rooms, in case the bird will roam around the house.

  • Secure pets

Do you have dogs or cats in the house? Cats, in particular, are known predators of birds. Secure all your pets inside a locked room to prevent them from causing stress to the trapped avian.

  • Bird-proof the kitchen

The lost bird can get into your kitchen and can hurt themselves with active cooking pots or any appliance that is turned on. So if you’re cooking, turn off the oven and cover the food.

You can always resume your cooking after the bird is gone. Also, not keeping the food away from the bird can make the dish inedible for humans.

  • Cover glass windows

Glass windows are something that birds don’t understand. If they see one, they may try to fly through and hurt themselves.

To prevent this from happening, cover your glass windows with curtains, cardboard, or any item that can block the reflections.

Step 3: Choose an exit

Close all doors and windows, but leave one open as an exit for the trapped avian. Opt for a door or window closest to the bird to make the next task successful.

Step 4: Turn off the lights

Once you’ve decided on what door or window to open, turn off all the interior lights. The trick here is to show the bird where the exit is.

Birds have always been attracted to lights, so the trapped passerine will surely be attracted to the lighted exit.

And in this step, make yourself scarce, so the bird can fly out freely without worrying about getting spooked.

What if the Birds Can’t Find the Exit?

remove-a-bird-from-your-house

You’ve done what you can to show the trapped bird where to go, but what if the exit is lost to the avian? Should you just wait for a miracle or move forward with other methods? Read below.

Gloves On!

Before you get a bird out of your house, find a pair of rubber gloves, or any type of gloves in the house and put them on.

Wash hands

No gloves in the house? Nothing to worry about. Simply wash your hand to eliminate the skin oil that can render the bird temporarily flightless.

Be hands on

Now, try to catch a bird with your hands. Approach it silently and slowly grab the bird.

However, make sure to give enough room for the passerine to breathe inside your palms. You can only make this process work by exercising stealth.

Use a net

Sometimes, it’s not easy to catch a songbird by hand. And so you may need a soft net to catch the trapped bird. Simply spread the net using your two hands, and quietly come near the avian.

Then, throw the net swiftly on top of the bird, and slowly hold the trapped bird with your hands through the netting.

Throw a towel

If you have no access to a net, look for a soft and super lightweight towel. This tool is ideal for larger birds, but it could work for small passerines too.

When you see the lost bird inside your home, throw the towel on it to catch the avian. And then slowly lift the captured fowl with your hands and release it outside.

What If the Bird Is Injured?

catch-a-bird-with-your-hands

No matter how careful you are in following the process to remove a bird from your house, there’s still a possibility of the bird getting injured.

This is especially true if the fowl has been trapped in your house for hours. And if this is the case, then caring for the bird is the next best thing.

  • Look for a clean cardboard box, and place a towel on the base.
  • Place the interim nest outside of your house, preferably under a tree.
  • Choose a safe place where predators cannot access the wounded fowl.
  • Gently place the injured bird inside the box, and check for injuries. If the rescued bird seems to be seriously hurt, then you need to contact a local vet.

Out of Options? Call Animal Control

If the bird is still in the house after you do all the steps above, contact a local animal control professional. They are better equipped to handle a trapped bird, so stop stressing and leave the job to these people.

However, there may be a cost to calling the experts. But this route is worth every penny, and safer for the lost fowl too.

Why You Should Get Birds Out of Your Home

bird-stuck-in-house

No matter what tactic you use to successfully lure a bird out of your house, you need to have a fixed goal of setting it free.

A bird stuck in house needs to go back to the wild so it can survive. Birds require freedom, and you’re not licensed or equipped to cage a bird.

How to Keep Your House Bird-free

A bird stuck in the house can make a huge mess, leave bird droppings, and scatter feathers and dirt. Fortunately, there are preventative measures to follow.

  • Keep all your doors and windows closed at all times, especially when no one is home.
  • Cover all holes in walls and ceilings in order to prevent entry from wild birds.
  • Spray bird repellent solutions on windows, doors, and any point of entry for fowls.
  • Install animal decoys in areas where birds are likely to enter your house.
  • Put shiny and reflective objects at potential entryways for avians. You can use old CDs, bird tapes, and wind chimes.

An Important Tip!

You need to know that birds eat multiple times a day, and they’re always seeking for new food sources. If your kitchen has food or if your living room has nuts, then the bird trapped in house is not likely to come out.

So an important tip for you is to remove all temptations from your home. Without visible food, the trapped bird will have no reason to stay.

Conclusion

The guide on how to catch a bird in your house is easy to follow. You just need to keep calm, help the fowl see the exit, and if that does not work, then be hands on with your approach.

Regardless of how you capture the trapped bird, always put the safety of the passerine as your top priority. And if you can’t handle it, contact a professional.

Kindly share this article with others if you like it. And don’t hesitate to leave us a comment.

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