Your answer
Make one exit obvious and darken everything else.
A bird indoors is navigating by light. It will fly at the brightest surface, which is usually a closed window. If you can make one opening the brightest thing in the room, the problem solves itself in a few minutes without anyone touching the bird.
What to do right now
- 01Close interior doors, shut pets out, and turn off ceiling fans.
- 02Draw every curtain and blind except one open door or window.
- 03Turn off the lights and leave the room for ten minutes.
- 04If it is exhausted and perched low, a towel over it and a two-handed lift outside is acceptable as a last resort.
What not to do
- Do not chase it or swing anything at it.
- Do not let a cat into the room to "flush" it.
- Do not leave it overnight in a room with glass on two sides.
Change your mind if any of this is true
Any one of these changes the answer above. Call a rehabilitator instead.
- It has struck glass repeatedly and is now bleeding or dazed.
- It has been indoors more than a day.
Get professional help
Tell us where you are — your state, then your county — and we will list the people licensed to take it there, nearest to you first. Rehabilitators are licensed by their own state, which is why we ask.
Understand the animal
Knowing why this happens is what makes the next one easier to read.