Bring Them Home! Tips On Locating A Lost Bird

Allee

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2013
16,852
Media
2
212
Texas
Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
It is heart wrenching to lose any pet, but pets do get lost and when it happens, it happens fast. An immediate response doesn't guarantee a safe return, but it can increase the chances.

When your bird takes off, according to the circumstances and the location, the bird may not fly too far away. Walk the entire area while calling to your bird. Check trees carefully, lost birds are frightened and a tree or a group of trees may look like a safe place.

If you lose sight of your bird, search a wide area in the last place you saw the bird. Use your cell phone to enlist friends and family members to help. If possible, have someone start printing fliers with your contact information, a photo of your bird, and the word "Reward", to encourage more people to actively search, you don't need to advertise the amount. Don't be afraid to print too many fliers. Make it personal, let everyone who sees the flier know how much you want your bird back. It's ideal if the bird's favorite human is free to search for the bird while others take care of the fliers and social media.

Have someone make phone calls to
•Shelters
•HSPCA
•Police Stations
•Newspaper Offices
•Pet Shops
•Veterinary Clinics (microchips are very successful, a lot of people will take a found pet to the closest clinic to have it scanned)
•Local Busineses including coffee shops and restaurants. You never know who will see your bird's photo and remember seeing a strange species of bird in a local park or near their home.

Leave your contact information everywhere and make sure someone is available to take every phone call and do the follow up. You don't want to miss a single call. When a parrot is lost, hungry and afraid, it may allow someone to pick it up and take it home. Remember, not everyone will be able to tell you what species of parrot they have found. When describing your bird to someone who hasn't seen a photo, use general descriptions, size and color. It isn't a common occurrence to come across a lost parrot, even the most well meaning person may not know how to locate the owner. Make it as easy as possible for them. If your bird is wearing a band and you have the number recorded, withhold the information and use it to identify your bird. If you make the band number public while your bird is lost, and your bird is taken in by the wrong people, they may remove the band. If your bird has a microchip, remember to alert the organization and the veterinary office that supplied the chip.

Have someone check any and all classifieds for the duration of the search, not only the lost bird ads, but also new birds for sale. Keep extending your search area. Take a good photo of your flier and post one on all your social media sites. Post to FB- your county citizens page, 911 parrot alert, local bird rescue pages, your personal page. Facebook has reunited hundreds of pets with their families. Get the word out, the more people you can involve, the better your chances of recovering your parrot.

If you haven't found your bird by nightfall of the first day, set up a cage in the area where the bird was last seen. If the property is not yours, ask for permission. Take food, water and familiar bowls. Birds have incredible vision as long as there is daylight. If you cover your bird's cage at night, take the cage cover, a familiar shirt that you wear often around the bird, a large favorite toy, the bird won't need the items, but they will be familiar and attractive to a lost bird. If your bird has a flock mate, put his friend in a secure travel cage and take him with you. Walk away from the travel cage to encourage the caged bird to call to you. Your bird is most likely to flock call in the morning and evening. If you have a recording of your bird, take that with you and play it as loudly as possible. An extension ladder and strong flashlights come in handy too. Don't hesitate to ask for help. People will be willing to loan you a ladder and most will volunteer to help search.

If you locate the bird in a tree, if possible, the bird's favorite person should climb the ladder and attempt to retrieve the bird. If the bird is still out of reach, call to him and offer a familiar perch to step onto. If it's impossible to reach the bird, leave the cage set up and return to the location before sunrise and repeat the process. If you know your bird is in the area, stay near the cage as late as you can and arrive as early as possible the next morning. Your presence will discourage predators and hopefully encourage your bird to come down after everything is quiet.

A lot of people will not approach a parrot, but may report his location if they see a parrot in a tree. Keep all your search equipment in your car and ready to go at a moment's notice if you get one of those calls.

Keep searching and don't give up hope too soon, your parrot may have been taken in by someone who is trying to locate you. Keep checking your fliers and replacing them and update your bird's story on all your social websites. Check regularly with all the agencies you contacted at the beginning of your search, your calls will remind them you are still searching.

~The Mod Team~
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
Those are GREAT tips!

Also, and this is important. PARROTS VOCALIZE AT FIRST LIGHT... Get up at the crack of dawn, and go out where you last saw your bird, and walk the tree line, listening and calling. Chances are the morning after is one of the best chance you have of finding them again...

At the time they fly off, they may be so scared that they are hiding. (Tusk did this to me once at the park. Flew off into the woods and did not come back. That was the last time I took him free flying...) Searched those woods high and low, all night, until it was too dark to see. NOTHING!

Went back at first light, the next morning. HE WAS IN A TREE I PROBABLY WALKED BY 15 TIMES THE DAY BEFORE WAITING TO BE PICKED UP... He saw me before I saw him. "HELLO TUSK! TIME FOR BREAKFAST..." Looked up, and there he was, with a birdie grin and his foot in the air... (This was about 10 years or so ago!)

After being out all night he was calmer, and more cold and hungry and afraid of being lost, than afraid to be found. (I used to free fly my birds. I stopped shortly after that particular incident.)
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
Other Sites to Post Free Lost and Found Ads:

Craigslist (in both the "Lost and Found" and "Pets" sections)

Bird Hotline: Bird HotLine — World Wide Bird Lost and Found

Birdmart Parrot Classified Ads – Lost & Found: Birdmart.com! PARROT CLASSIFIED ADS - Visit the Parrot Classified Ads for lost birds, found birds, birds for sale, bird club meetings and events. Featuring parrots for sale and parrot cages for sale, parrot toys for sale, parrots wanted and lost parr

Flealess Market's Lost Pets International: Lost Pets International, Dogs, Cats, Parrots, Cockatiels, Ferrets, Rabbits, Turtles, Tortoises

LostAndFound.com: The world's online lost and found resource.

Pet Amber Alert | Find Lost Dogs | Find Missing Pet

Contact all bird rescues, pet stores, and bird clubs in your area. Especially the pet stores in the area where you lost him. Who ever finds the bird will most likely go there first to get him some food and then BAM there's a poster on the door - that looks like the bird I just found!
 
Last edited:

RavensGryf

Supporting Member
Jan 19, 2014
14,233
190
College Station, Texas
Parrots
Red Bellied Parrot /
Ruppell's Parrot /
Bronze Winged Pionus /
English Budgie
I browsed the Bird Hotline for a few minutes until I could no longer stand looking at it. So sad and a real eye opener how that many pet parrots are missing in even one city!
Broke my heart when they mentioned how 2 birds are best friends and went missing/stolen and the thought they could be apart. I had to stop reading.
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
I browsed the Bird Hotline for a few minutes until I could no longer stand looking at it. So sad and a real eye opener how that many pet parrots are missing in even one city!
Broke my heart when they mentioned how 2 birds are best friends and went missing/stolen and the thought they could be apart. I had to stop reading.

Yeah, try going through this every single day, several times a day, while your bird has been missing for a week or more...

BEEN THERE! DONE THAT... (More than once!)
 

JosephN79

New member
Dec 17, 2013
73
0
Northern Kentucky
Parrots
Kona & Ino: Green Cheeked Conures--

Petey: Yellow Female Parakeet--

Chicken: Blue Male Parakeet--

Pickle: Male Yellow Indian Ringneck--

Girlie: Orange Winged Amazon
My conures are siblings. One of them got out last 4th of july through the garage door. He flew about 3 houses down the street and ended up in a tree. I had my wife grab the other conure and bring him out in a cage. He was calling out for his brother from the inside of the house right when he got out. So when I brought him out and stood under the tree, the other one flew down and I snatched him up :)

One of my neighbors came over to me with his dog and says "Is that a cockatoo?" That's probably the worst look I ever gave a person Ive never talked to before, since his dog was probably not helping encourage my bird out of the tree. I told him to go away, politely . . . well, maybe not.

But I got the conure back and was super relieved. It was pretty stressful, I feel terrible for people who are missing their birds.
 

Betrisher

Well-known member
Jun 3, 2013
4,253
177
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Parrots
Dominic: Galah(RIP: 1981-2018); The Lovies: Four Blue Masked Lovebirds; Barney and Madge (The Beaks): Alexandrines; Miss Rosetta Stone: Little Corella
Another tip I'd add is that you need to widen your search every day your bird is missing. My Barney was found 10km from home after a period of high winds and electrical storms. Other birds in my local 'Lost Pets' groups have been found even farther afield, so make sure you put ads all nearby towns.

Another tip I learned from our local groups is to put a laminated copy of your flier on your mailbox so local people can see at a glance who is missing which bird. Other people to contact are your mailman and anyone who delivers junk mail in your area. Also, local schools. Kids are surprisingly aware of what's flying around in the neighbourhood.

MOST importantly, as a wise man told me: NEVER GIVE UP HOPE! Birds have been reunited with their owners after long periods and amazing adventures: it could happen for you too! :)
 

𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖞𝕻𝖎𝖈𝖆

Well-known member
2x Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 2, 2021
3,527
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4
Albums
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8,038
Vermont, USA
Parrots
Stormy(M): blue Australian budgie
Picasso(F): green Australian budgie
Apollo(F): sky blue dominant pied Australian budgie
I must stress, PUT UP POSTERS!

Someone else could have your bird and you don't know it! This is how I found my lost budgie Stormy. That, and outdoor desensitization.

PUT UP POSTERS!!!
 

MissMac

Well-known member
Dec 2, 2021
182
Media
15
Albums
3
289
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Females, Lutino Indian Ringneck Missy and Silver Lavender IRN Gracie.
It is heart wrenching to lose any pet, but pets do get lost and when it happens, it happens fast. An immediate response doesn't guarantee a safe return, but it can increase the chances.

When your bird takes off, according to the circumstances and the location, the bird may not fly too far away. Walk the entire area while calling to your bird. Check trees carefully, lost birds are frightened and a tree or a group of trees may look like a safe place.

If you lose sight of your bird, search a wide area in the last place you saw the bird. Use your cell phone to enlist friends and family members to help. If possible, have someone start printing fliers with your contact information, a photo of your bird, and the word "Reward", to encourage more people to actively search, you don't need to advertise the amount. Don't be afraid to print too many fliers. Make it personal, let everyone who sees the flier know how much you want your bird back. It's ideal if the bird's favorite human is free to search for the bird while others take care of the fliers and social media.

Have someone make phone calls to
•Shelters
•HSPCA
•Police Stations
•Newspaper Offices
•Pet Shops
•Veterinary Clinics
(microchips are very successful, a lot of people will take a found pet to the closest clinic to have it scanned)
•Local Busineses including coffee shops and restaurants. You never know who will see your bird's photo and remember seeing a strange species of bird in a local park or near their home.

Leave your contact information everywhere and make sure someone is available to take every phone call and do the follow up. You don't want to miss a single call. When a parrot is lost, hungry and afraid, it may allow someone to pick it up and take it home. Remember, not everyone will be able to tell you what species of parrot they have found. When describing your bird to someone who hasn't seen a photo, use general descriptions, size and color. It isn't a common occurrence to come across a lost parrot, even the most well meaning person may not know how to locate the owner. Make it as easy as possible for them. If your bird is wearing a band and you have the number recorded, withhold the information and use it to identify your bird. If you make the band number public while your bird is lost, and your bird is taken in by the wrong people, they may remove the band. If your bird has a microchip, remember to alert the organization and the veterinary office that supplied the chip.

Have someone check any and all classifieds for the duration of the search, not only the lost bird ads, but also new birds for sale. Keep extending your search area. Take a good photo of your flier and post one on all your social media sites. Post to FB- your county citizens page, 911 parrot alert, local bird rescue pages, your personal page. Facebook has reunited hundreds of pets with their families. Get the word out, the more people you can involve, the better your chances of recovering your parrot.

If you haven't found your bird by nightfall of the first day, set up a cage in the area where the bird was last seen. If the property is not yours, ask for permission. Take food, water and familiar bowls. Birds have incredible vision as long as there is daylight. If you cover your bird's cage at night, take the cage cover, a familiar shirt that you wear often around the bird, a large favorite toy, the bird won't need the items, but they will be familiar and attractive to a lost bird. If your bird has a flock mate, put his friend in a secure travel cage and take him with you. Walk away from the travel cage to encourage the caged bird to call to you. Your bird is most likely to flock call in the morning and evening. If you have a recording of your bird, take that with you and play it as loudly as possible. An extension ladder and strong flashlights come in handy too. Don't hesitate to ask for help. People will be willing to loan you a ladder and most will volunteer to help search.

If you locate the bird in a tree, if possible, the bird's favorite person should climb the ladder and attempt to retrieve the bird. If the bird is still out of reach, call to him and offer a familiar perch to step onto. If it's impossible to reach the bird, leave the cage set up and return to the location before sunrise and repeat the process. If you know your bird is in the area, stay near the cage as late as you can and arrive as early as possible the next morning. Your presence will discourage predators and hopefully encourage your bird to come down after everything is quiet.

A lot of people will not approach a parrot, but may report his location if they see a parrot in a tree. Keep all your search equipment in your car and ready to go at a moment's notice if you get one of those calls.

Keep searching and don't give up hope too soon, your parrot may have been taken in by someone who is trying to locate you. Keep checking your fliers and replacing them and update your bird's story on all your social websites. Check regularly with all the agencies you contacted at the beginning of your search, your calls will remind them you are still searching.

~The Mod Team~
My Missy got away last Thursday and I have been going to all the places that she or a similar bird( has to be her as there are no native yellow birds to Australia) has been spotted, at the times she was spotted, and calling for her.
I was inside when I heard an odd (but to me - I noticed) bird call, and I jumped up and ran outside calling for her. Then I saw her. She came flying overhead and landed on the power pole across the street. I tried to call her down but sadly she flew away over some houses. I tried to walk and kept calling her as I did, but I have a bad spine and walking is hard, so I headed back home, still calling for her, jumped in the car and went in the direction she went. I called and called but nothing.
I am wondering.... every morning and every evening I have been going out to where she has been sighted (not far from me but a good walk - so I drive) and call her and click her trainer clicker, I also have a bag of treats too, but - am I possibly leading her in all sorts of directions by going to these places that aren't home?
Should I call from the one place, first thing in the morning and upon dusk? My neighbours will hate me for waking them.
Also, the weather is expected to get wet over the next few days. It's just started spitting here now.
 

MissMac

Well-known member
Dec 2, 2021
182
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15
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3
289
Parrots
Females, Lutino Indian Ringneck Missy and Silver Lavender IRN Gracie.
Yeah, try going through this every single day, several times a day, while your bird has been missing for a week or more...

BEEN THERE! DONE THAT... (More than once!)
I'm in the very position right now and have just, just today, day 6, seen her.... and she flew off. I feel like a failure.:cry:
 

MissMac

Well-known member
Dec 2, 2021
182
Media
15
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289
Parrots
Females, Lutino Indian Ringneck Missy and Silver Lavender IRN Gracie.
Thats amazing how she survived 6 days wothout food and maybe no water..
Do you thing having bird feeders filled with seeds might help?..
Im so sorry missmac
She has been hanging with the galahs and this arvo with the plovers. The galahs showed her where there is fresh drinking water in a trough so water has been fine. She wasn't a forager so I don't know what she has been eating but I have started to throw out seed on my front lawn in the hopes of attracting birds, and her. I might try to fix some feeders to the railing so if she comes closer she will see inside the French doors to her home.
 

Zoruace

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Sep 21, 2021
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She has been hanging with the galahs and this arvo with the plovers. The galahs showed her where there is fresh drinking water in a trough so water has been fine. She wasn't a forager so I don't know what she has been eating but I have started to throw out seed on my front lawn in the hopes of attracting birds, and her. I might try to fix some feeders to the railing so if she comes closer she will see inside the French doors to her home.
the more bird you attract the higher chance you will find her seeing that she sticks with the other birds
thats amazing how shes learning from the wild birds!
 

𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖞𝕻𝖎𝖈𝖆

Well-known member
2x Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 2, 2021
3,527
Media
4
Albums
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8,038
Vermont, USA
Parrots
Stormy(M): blue Australian budgie
Picasso(F): green Australian budgie
Apollo(F): sky blue dominant pied Australian budgie
She has been hanging with the galahs and this arvo with the plovers. The galahs showed her where there is fresh drinking water in a trough so water has been fine. She wasn't a forager so I don't know what she has been eating but I have started to throw out seed on my front lawn in the hopes of attracting birds, and her. I might try to fix some feeders to the railing so if she comes closer she will see inside the French doors to her home.
It's good that you have wild parrots where you are! It's really going to help her learn to survive and maybe come back home! She's made it so far already!
 

MissMac

Well-known member
Dec 2, 2021
182
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15
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3
289
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Females, Lutino Indian Ringneck Missy and Silver Lavender IRN Gracie.
the more bird you attract the higher chance you will find her seeing that she sticks with the other birds
thats amazing how shes learning from the wild birds!
She's now 4 months old and totally didn't understand foraging so yes, I am amazed too.
 

Zoruace

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Sep 21, 2021
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She's now 4 months old and totally didn't understand foraging so yes, I am amazed too.
Hopefully she survives a long time even if u werent able to catch her..
A question..
Are there any common predators like birds of prey and all those?
A bright yellow bird might attract them so keep a look out
 

MissMac

Well-known member
Dec 2, 2021
182
Media
15
Albums
3
289
Parrots
Females, Lutino Indian Ringneck Missy and Silver Lavender IRN Gracie.
It's good that you have wild parrots where you are! It's really going to help her learn to survive and maybe come back home! She's made it so far already!
She's 4 months old now and I am happy she has made it so far. The weather is closing in tho and I am worried. All I can do is keep calling and trying to attract birds. The lady across the street and down some ways has "birds" and I am guessing that it is uneaten seed she throws out on the lawn that attracts the galahs. I'm trying to woo them over to my front lawn but as my house is on an odd angle they don't see me throw out seed and stuff when they are there waiting but I hope them wondering what the other birds are eating might attract them too. It's a 30 something strong flock of them.
 

MissMac

Well-known member
Dec 2, 2021
182
Media
15
Albums
3
289
Parrots
Females, Lutino Indian Ringneck Missy and Silver Lavender IRN Gracie.
Hopefully she survives a long time even if u werent able to catch her..
A question..
Are there any common predators like birds of prey and all those?
A bright yellow bird might attract them so keep a look out
No. No predator birds as such but we have some magpies and I know they can attack but if she can stick with other birds like the large galah flock, she might be okay with them... I am hoping.
 

Zoruace

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Sep 21, 2021
5,246
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No. No predator birds as such but we have some magpies and I know they can attack but if she can stick with other birds like the large galah flock, she might be okay with them... I am hoping.
I think she will be fine :)
 

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