How To Get A Bird Out Of Your House?

While it’s uncommon for birds to fly off course and end up indoors, it does happen occasionally and can be a distressing event for all involved, especially disoriented birds.

But what should you do if you spot a wild bird in your home, and how can you safely help it escape? If you find yourself in this situation, read on for advice on what to do.

Birds can enter homes through open windows, skylights, and even half-open doors, even the instant a human opens the door to enter the home. To help them get out safely, it’s important to stay calm and follow some simple steps to guide them outside again.

Birds may be attracted to lights in your home and find their way inside through open windows. By turning off all interior lights, and closing all interior doors, making sure the original windows are as wide open as possible, the birds will likely retreat as hastily as they came in, especially if there are exterior lights to help guide them back outside.

Staying indoors can be a stressful affair for a wild bird, and it is at risk of injury. Care needs to be taken when removing stray birds from your home, and handling should be avoided unless the bird is flightless and requires veterinary care.

The best course of action is to provide them with a way to leave on their own without human intervention.

Read on to learn more about the different ways to successfully rid your home of unwanted guests.

Sparrows are one of the most common indoor birds

Ways to Keep Birds Out of Your Home

If you spot a bird in your home and it doesn’t seem eager to find its way out, don’t panic—you can try a number of different methods to lure it back to a more natural habitat.

isolate the bird in a room

Close all doors so the birds are confined to one room rather than having the opportunity to fly around the house. In that room, cabinet and closet doors should be closed, limiting the areas the birds can enter. Open the windows as wide as possible, and with luck, the birds will be attracted by the fresh air outside and find their way out on their own.

turn off the lights

Once the bird is isolated in a space, turn off the lights in that room. This will help calm the bird if it becomes agitated by the unfamiliar environment it is in. If there is a light source outside, such as street lights or neon signs, this will help attract straying birds back into nature.

Create a barrier with sheets

If a trapped bird is slowly moving away and doesn’t seem to heed the cues of an open window, it might be worth trying to help it with a sheet. Hold the sheet high so that the door to the room where the bird is in closes behind you, and walk towards the bird, creating a moving wall that reduces the space available to the bird. That may be all it takes to lure the bird to the open window.

tired the bird

While a bird may be relatively calm when it accidentally flies into a house, its frantic search for an escape route, often accompanied by high levels of activity from nearby humans, can quickly cause serious agitation. Giving the bird time to calm down will give you a better chance of helping it escape, or disposing of it safely to a rescue center if needed.

call the experts

For birds that seem particularly aggressive, inaccessible, or stressed and unpredictable, it is wise to consult a rescue center for tips and assistance. The same is true for injured birds or birds that for other reasons seem unable to leave.

A bird perched on top of some books in a library

Why do birds fly into the house?

Birds cannot see the glass in windows or doors, and they may be drawn away from their planned route by lights or what it sees behind a window. In most cases, there is no danger of birds flying into your home when doors and windows are open, but some birds may accidentally leave their comfort zone if you turn in the wrong direction.

Opportunistic birds may take advantage of open doors for shelter or to search for food scraps inside. They may then become disoriented, unable to find their way out immediately, and instead fly further afield in search of an exit.

Pigeon looking through the window

Which birds fly into houses most often?

Depending on where you are in the world, some of the more common birds that end up in homes are house sparrows and bluebirds. Classified as an invasive species in many parts of Asia, mynah birds enter houses frequently and boldly.

In more urban areas and cities, pigeons often find themselves inside buildings. In the countryside, barn swallows are fairly common birds that will come into your property, especially if they are nesting in a nearby barn or nearby.

Their usual means of entry is by having open doors near where they nest, and during their acrobatic flights, open doors can often be mistaken for barns.

Some of the most curious birds can even peek through the open windows!

Barn swallow indoors, perched on top of wardrobe

What does it mean when a bird flies into your house?

There are different spiritual interpretations for a bird that flies into a home. One basic idea is that a bird that flies into your home is a messenger with a message. Some believe the color of the bird is important, with white birds said to bring good news, while black-feathered birds are ominous omens of impending doom.

Birds flying into a house are quite rare, and some people believe that when a house welcomes an unexpected bird visitor, it must mean that the occupants are providing peace, security and stability.

Closeup shot of a starling bird at home

Indoor Birds FAQs

How do you keep birds out of a house without windows?

To release a bird that has flown into a windowless house, you need to guide it toward the door by gradually closing off the other rooms so it has no choice but to leave. Once in a room with an exit to the outside world, you can try to lead the bird towards the opening, possibly using the sheet trick. Hold a sheet high in the air towards the bird, blocking any other exits, and you can direct the bird to fly out through the open doorway.

How do you keep birds out of your house at night?

Close any doors, confine the birds to one room, and keep windows open if possible. Leave the room, leave the bird inside, and turn off all nearby lights. The bird is naturally attracted to any light outside, so even in total darkness, any external light source, no matter how far, will help. If the bird is able to fly, it will eventually fly out of the open window.

How to get a bird out of a house with high ceilings?

If a bird is stuck in a room with a high ceiling and doesn’t show any urgency to get out, you can try to get out by eliminating all but one of the exit points (an open window or door leading to the outside) To guide it out. The ceiling fans should be turned off and the lights turned off to allow the bird to calm down and find its own way.

For rooms with extremely high ceilings, one possible approach is to try and catch it with a net, then slowly guide the net from the wall to the floor. By covering the bird in the net with a sheet, you can safely take it outside and release it. If the bird is out of safe range, it’s best to take it to a specialist and consult a wildlife rescue center.