Wild bird rehabilitation outcomes depend on injury type, species, time in care, and post-release monitoring, with evidence-based protocols improving survival after release.
Wild bird rehabilitation causes captivity stress - handling, restricted movement, and absence of normal social and environmental stimuli all cause distress. The welfare benefit of rehabilitation must exceed the welfare cost of captivity to be justified. For injured birds likely to die without intervention, rehabilitation provides net welfare benefit even with captivity stress. Decisions about treatment intensity and duration should be guided by realistic prognosis for release - prolonged captivity for animals unlikely to survive release prolongs suffering without benefit.