Lost & found
My bird is missing
We’re so sorry. This is frightening, and it happens to careful owners too. Many birds are found, sometimes days or weeks later and kilometres away. The first hours matter most, so start now and get others to help.
The first hours and days
How to look for your bird
- 01
Search where it was last seen
Most escaped birds stay surprisingly close at first, often within a kilometre or two. Walk the area slowly, calling its name, and stop often to listen.
- 02
Look up, and listen
Check treetops, roof gutters, power lines and dense shrubs. A frightened bird often goes quiet and stays still, so a reply call may be all you get.
- 03
Search at dawn and dusk
Birds are most active and vocal then. If you see where it settles for the night, note the spot and be back before first light.
- 04
Use familiar sounds
Play recordings of its calls, its companions or your voice on your phone, then pause and listen. Bring a companion bird outside in its cage if it’s safe.
- 05
Put its cage outside
Somewhere it can see, with its favourite food and water, if it’s safe to do so. Stay nearby and keep other pets inside.
- 06
Get help searching
Ask family, friends and neighbours to take a street each, and a shift at dawn or dusk. More eyes and ears in the first hours make a real difference.
If you catch your bird, keep it warm, quiet and somewhere small, offer water and its usual food, and see a vet, especially after a cold or wet night. If in doubt, see a vet.
Spread the word
Tell every service, not just one
A finder uses whatever they happen to know about: a Facebook group, the nearest vet, ParrotAlert, their council, BIRD. No single website reaches everyone, so the best chance is all of them working together. Use the same clear photo and description everywhere, and update them all when your bird is home.
-
BIRD
Report it lost from your bird’s page. Every found-bird report is checked against it, vets and rescues see the alert when they look it up, people nearby who’ve asked for lost-bird alerts can be emailed, and you can make a poster and a link to share.
-
ParrotAlert
A free lost, found and sightings register used widely in Australia. Despite the name, it’s for every kind of bird. Report your bird there too and check its found and sighting reports near you.
-
Facebook groups
Search Facebook for “lost birds” or “lost and found pets” with your city, region or state, and join the busiest few. Post in your suburb’s community group as well. That’s often where finders look first.
-
Pet911
Free lost-pet listings by city, shared to their social media pages.
-
Vets, shelters and your council
Phone every vet clinic, animal shelter and RSPCA or animal welfare centre nearby, and your council’s rangers or pound. Finders often take a bird to the nearest vet to be scanned.
-
Bird clubs and shops
Local avicultural societies and bird clubs, pet shops and bird shops hear about found birds. Ask if you can leave a poster.
-
Its microchip registry
If it’s microchipped, mark it missing with the registry and check your phone number is right. Pet Address shows which registry holds a microchip number.
-
Posters and neighbours
Letterbox your street and the next few, and put posters up at vets, shops and noticeboards. Ask neighbours to check sheds, carports and aviaries.
BIRD isn’t connected to these services and doesn’t endorse them. They’re listed because finders use them.
Protect yourself
Be ready for scams and unkind messages
Sadly, a few people target owners of missing pets, knowing you’ll do anything to get your bird back. Most people who contact you will genuinely want to help, but it’s worth knowing the warning signs before you post.
Warning signs
- Asking for money before you see your bird: a reward up front, a “transport” or courier fee, or a vet bill to pay first.
- Saying they’re far away, or the bird is hurt, so you need to act or pay right now.
- A photo but no live video call, or a photo that looks a little too perfect. Some scammers use AI to make a convincing fake photo of your bird from the ones you’ve posted.
- Someone saying they’re a vet, shelter or police officer and asking for payment or your bird’s numbers.
- Moving you quickly to another app, or asking for codes, bank details or personal information.
Keep one detail to yourself
Leave something out of every post, like which leg its band is on, a marking, or a word it says. A genuine finder can tell you; a scammer can’t.
Ask for a live video call
Ask them to show the bird with something you choose, like today’s date written on paper. Photos can be faked; a live call is much harder to fake.
Never pay before your bird is in your hands
Not a reward, a deposit, a courier or a vet bill. If someone claims to be a vet or shelter, hang up and call the clinic back on a number you look up yourself.
Meet somewhere safe
A vet clinic, a police station or a busy public place, and take someone with you. Check it really is your bird before any reward changes hands.
Keep your numbers private
Don’t post band or microchip numbers. Give them only to vets, shelters and police. On BIRD, finders never see them, or your contact details.
If messages are cruel
Some people post hurtful comments or send cruel messages to owners who have lost a bird. It says everything about them and nothing about you. You don’t have to reply. Take a screenshot, block them, and report them to the group or platform. On BIRD, use Report this message and our team will look at it.
If you’ve already paid someone
Call your bank straight away: it may be able to stop the payment. Then report it to ReportCyber, which passes reports to police, and to Scamwatch. Keep the messages, numbers and receipts. It isn’t your fault: these people are skilled at this.
If your bird is registered
Sign in, open your bird and choose Report lost (or stolen). Add where and when you last saw it.
- BIRD checks every new found-bird report against your bird, and checks reports already made.
- You’re emailed straight away about a possible match, and can message the finder privately.
- Vets, rescues and shelters who look up its band or microchip see that it’s reported missing.
- Make a poster and share a link from your bird’s page. They take finders to a report for your bird, and your name and number are never on them.
When your bird is home, mark it home safe and the alerts stop.
If you think it was stolen
Report it to police on 131 444 (or 000 if a crime is happening now), then report it stolen on BIRD and add the police event number. A stolen bird is handled like a lost one, but BIRD also alerts us to any match.
If your bird isn’t registered
Lost reports are only for birds registered before they went missing, so no one can claim a bird they’ve only seen. Everything above still works, and once your bird is home, register it so it’s protected next time.
Don’t give up
Keep going, and look after yourself
Birds turn up days, weeks and sometimes months later, often after someone has been feeding a “friendly bird” in their backyard. Keep your reports open, re-share your posts every few days, and keep checking new found and sighting reports in your area.
It’s normal to feel guilt, worry and grief all at once. Let people help: with searching, phone calls, posting, or just company. Rest when you need to; you’ll search better for it.
Found someone else’s bird?
Our step-by-step helper covers keeping it safe, what to feed it, and finding its owner.