Wild bird rehabilitation aims to return injured birds to the wild, with welfare considerations spanning initial triage through release and post-release survival.
Wild bird rehabilitation presents genuine welfare dilemmas around when treatment serves the animal's interests versus prolonging suffering. The acute distress of capture and handling in wild birds is significant - these are animals evolved to flee from predators, and human handling triggers intense fear responses. Extended captivity changes behavior in ways that may reduce post-release survival. Honest assessment of prognosis must be part of every rehabilitation decision: aggressive treatment of birds with poor survival prospects may cause more total suffering than prompt humane euthanasia. The welfare case for rehabilitation is strongest when birds have good prognosis, recovery is rapid, and release is into appropriate habitat.