Injured bird

I am asking as if it looks like it may be a bird of prey, I may be able to get it seen sooner, as for a common wild bird I will have to wait, and it was bleeding earlier

Have you called the vet?

I called the RSPCA and they advised to put it in a dark quiet room, in a box with air holes so it stays calm, with a piece of bread soaked in water so it can eat and drink if it recovers enough. The RSPCA cannot get anyone to come and collect it until late tomorrow, so they suggested leaving it outside the vets in a box in the morning.... and calling the vets and leaving a message saying I am going to be doing this in case they have an out of hours team.

I think i have figured it out - a swift. They have trouble taking off as they spend 99% of their life flying. We have loads flying round this area

It could be a shrike, if it actually is a bird of prey, but is that small.

This is a woodchat shrike, which is found in Britain:



This is a brown shrike, which can be found in Britain, but which is more common in Africa:



This is a red shrike, and this was photographed near Cork, in Ireland--and this bird is also found in Britain:



Actually, i had a problem finding images of shrikes common in Britain. Most of the images i found were for loggerhead shrikes and northern shrikes, the only two species common in North America; and, for some reason, images of shrikes common to the Indian subcontinent.

Frankly, i'd be very surprised if the bird is still alive by the morning when you plan to take it to the vet. I advise that you consider very carefully how you will contain it overnight. Birds of any species are hag-ridden with parasites, inside and out. If the bird dies overnight while in your house, the parasites which are in it's plumage will leave the cooling body and look for another host in your house. It might be best if you can make it comfortable in box which you can then put in a shed, where you are certain it will be safe from predators.

I doubt if it is a swift--they don't have sharp, hooked beaks, and they are very strikingly distinctive in the shape of their wings and tail:

Might it have been an ostrich?

I have been looking up swifts, and they are like tiny falcons, in build and behaviour, hence my confusion. I've just been and checked on it, and it looks like the wound was just surface, and it is very much alive and well. I thought it was more poorly than it was because it was lying on it's chest, but it seems this is normal for this bird as they fly all the time, even sleep in the air.

I didn't think about the parasites... I have it in the room my rats inhabit, so I may leave it in the living room instead and shut the door. I would put it in the shed, but it's damp in there at the minute.

It was the curve of the face which made me think it looked like it had a 'hooked' beak

http://www.davidnorman.org.uk/MRG/2005%20round-up%20photos/SWIFT%20head%20three-quarters%20view%20(600%20x%20499).jpg

Well, i wasn't being alarmist. A woman we know who lives in eastern Ontario discovered a bird's nest in the eaves by her daughters room, and they managed to scare off the birds. Then, the following day, she was horrified to see the miniscule insect parasites crawling down the wall by the window in a black stream from the now abandoned nest, looking for a new host.

Woops...
http://www.davidnorman.org.uk/MRG/2005%20round-up.htm

There are some good face shots on here

That's horrible! Definately going to move the bird, thanks for the tip, didn't even cross my mind.

Just to let you all know, the bird survived the night, was checked by the vet and was released today.

Thank you! And good job!

That's good news, carrie. I'd been quite worried when Set told me about 'your' bird.

It's strange how these things happen and change your perspective - i now look at all the swifts swooping up and down my road in a completely different way, and have done loads of reading on them....

they can live for up to 20 years! My cat now has a very jangly bell attached to her... it'll just have to ruin her fun I'm afraid...

Thank you all so much, having people respond when I was in a flap (excuse the pun) was awesome and helped so much

:-)

I was hoping you would let us know how this turned out. I'm glad to hear that the little perisher made it, and i congratulate you on your "good Samaritan" behavior.

Thank you setanta... ;-)