Hummingbirds hitting a window is not uncommon. So, if it has happened at your place, you might be thinking, can a hummingbird survive hitting a window. We will help you get the best answer along with more details regarding the birds running into your panes. Stay tuned!
Can a hummingbird survive hitting a window?
Hummingbirds survive after hitting a window if the hit is not too hard. They will be wounded or die if they are too small and weak or the hit has been very hard. Most of the times, they feel pain on hitting the window, wounded and recover.
Hummingbirds are tiny creatures with brave hearts. They might mistakenly hit your window and get bruises all over their bodies. However, there are high chances that the bird remains alive and eager to recover at the earliest.
They can have multiple fractures in their bodies and a broken wing. But, they will stay awake and sit down in a corner due to immense pain. Although many birds die after hitting a window, most of them remain alive regardless of the immense pain in their bodies.
If a hummingbird has hit your window, it might be alive and require your attention.
Moving on, let’s get into some more details related to the mishap.
How long does it take for a hummingbird to recover from hitting a window?
If the hummingbird is alive post-hitting a window, there’s some chance for you to nurse it and help it recover fully.
A hummingbird might get various injuries after hitting a window. Their recovery rate will depend on the wounds’ severity. Also, if the bruises are severe with no scope of healing, they might even collapse – some instantly and some afterward.
Let’s know their recovery period depending on their wounds.
- Slight pain without injuries: It might happen that the hummingbird struck the window lightly. In such cases, the bird might feel dizzy and traumatized for a while but will not get any injuries. So, they will fly away in a few minutes in such cases.
- Multiple Fractures: Hummingbirds can get multiple fractures after hitting a window. It is more common than you think. In otherwise healthy avian patients, the simple mid-shaft fractures heal in 3 weeks. Other fractures can take up to 4-6 weeks to recover fully.
- Broken wing: Hitting a window causes hummingbirds to break their wings. The best part is that broken wings mend rapidly, needing only two weeks to repair for mild fractures. Fractures that have resulted in many fragments require 3-6 weeks to heal completely.
- Broken leg: Although it’s slightly uncommon, hummingbirds might get a broken leg after hitting a window. Their legs heal more rapidly than humans. So, it will take only 3-6 weeks for their peripheral organs to heal completely.
What to do when a hummingbird runs into a window?
Keeping aside the fast recovery time, you cannot let the bird suffer and heal on its own. It’s better to provide them with first aid or some treatment to increase their healing rate. Let’s look at some of the treatments you can give after finding an injured hummingbird near your window.
Clean the Visible wounds
Many times, you can see the wounds on a hummingbird after they hit a window. So, you can clean their bruises to stop their bleeding and avoid septic. You can gently clean the cuts and wounds using a weak antiseptic solution, such as Savlon or Hydrogen Peroxide (1 percent), or a warm saltwater solution. However, please avoid removing blood clots from their wounds to avoid resuming the bleeding.
Do first aid and fix Broken wings
If your hummer has a broken wing, you can gently pick the bird and tape the wing to a steady position to increase its recovery rate. You can use micropore tape to mask its wing without sticking onto the feathers on its body. However, ensure that you are not doing it too tightly to restrict the birds breathing.
Keep the bird in a shoebox lined with a towel. Don’t let it fly away from your home for some time until it recovers fully. However, you should provide it with sugar water every 10-15 minutes to avoid starvation and death.
Broken legs
Like treating a hummingbird’s broken wings, you can repeat the same process in case you find the bird with a broken leg. Please ensure that you provide it with sugar syrup every 10-15 minutes to satiate its hunger.
Multiple fractures
If you can’t see a probable injury in the hummingbird with its leg and wing working fine, you can reach a veterinary clinic when it still cannot fly for hours. It’s possible that the bird has multiple internal fractures and needs proper medical care.
How to prevent hummingbirds from hitting a window?
Hummingbirds running into your window is not a good thing. If it happens frequently, you should take preventive measures for the poor birds. Here are some steps to take.
Use non-reflecting glasses for your windows
The most common reason behind hummingbirds hitting a window is the reflecting glasses. The windows reflect the trees and sky landscapes of your yard. The poor hummingbirds think that the reflections are real and run into the window injuring themselves badly.
So, it’s better to use non-reflecting glasses or use one-side transparent films for your windows. It will reduce these incidents rapidly.
Screens and mosquito nets
You can install mosquito nets, gardening nets, or screens outside your windows to stop the birds from hitting the glasses and injuring themselves. You can cover the exterior glass with netting that is at least 3 inches away from the glass and taut enough to deflect birds before they hit it.
Use tapes and coatings
You can find numerous coatings for your windows that help the glasses make non-reflecting.
- Mark the outside of the glass with affordable and long-lasting soap or tempera paint. You can either use a grid pattern that is no larger than 4 inches by 2 inches, or you can get creative and paint patterns or artwork on your window.
- Apply decals, sun catchers, stickers, mylar strips, masking tape, or even sticky notes on the outside of your window glasses to make them non-reflecting. However, these are only effective if they are placed very close.
Conclusion
Although you know everything about treating injured hummingbirds, it’s better to avoid them from hitting your window. So, keep the birds healthy and happy and they will make your yard chirpy forever.
