Ask Lafeber

Can birds die from fright?

I found a very exhausted bird in the scorching hot sun in the middle of the street, I picked it up with bare hands and put it in the shade but it was too hot still so I went on my way to a cooler place until it died in my hands. It looked pretty small and young too and it wouldn’t drink water when I offered. Maybe I shouldn’t have picked it up but I’m still wondering why it died 🙁

Hi,

Since it was in the middle of the road, most likely it had been hit by a car. I would guess between that and the heat is why it died. At least you kept it from continuing to suffer in the hot sun.

Take care,

Brenda