Catch and handling of Swifts / Swallows / Martins.
Victims (most commonly occurring):
(from left to right) Common swift, Barn swallow, House martin.
Causes:
- Young animals, exhaustion, landed on the ground.
Experience Level:
- Easy: Catching and handling of such distressed bird species is not difficult.
Main points of interest:
- Minimize (additional) stress.
- Prevent additional injuries.
- Prevent escape.
- Safety for animals, transporters and others
Handling these bird species
- Swifts may in some cases end up on the ground after eg. Window collision, but will no longer be able to take off. If you do not see any external injuries, you can "throw" it over a lawn a half a metre high in the air, sometimes they fly off well again.
- These species are rather harmless and non-aggressive. Only in very exceptional cases slight scrapes or crab lesions can be caused by toenails.
- A firm but cautious approach is needed. Do not pinch the bird too hard in the hand. Leave some space around the body to allow the bird to breathe.
- Avoid as much damage as possible to the plumage of swallows. The delicate feathers must be in good shape to allow a release .
- Wounded swallows are very easy to pick up from the ground.
- Swifts that sit on the ground cannot possibly take off themselves.
- Injured swallows can be held with one hand (head between index and middle fingers and thumb around the body and the legs between ring finger and pink)
- Avoid long-term retention of these species.
