Found a Pet Bird in Calgary? Who to Call and What to Do

You Found a Bird in Calgary — Here's What to Do First

A parrot on your fence, a budgie huddled under a shrub, a cockatiel wandering a Calgary parking lot — a found bird is a stressful, time-sensitive situation for both of you. The good news is that pet birds rarely go far from where they're found, and most are desperate to land somewhere safe and be found again. What you do in the first hour matters more than anything else.

This guide walks through the practical steps for Calgary specifically: how to tell if the bird is a lost pet or native wildlife, who locally can help, how to contain it safely, and how to get it back to its owner as fast as possible.

Step 1: Is It a Pet Bird or Native Wildlife?

Before doing anything else, confirm what you're actually looking at. Escaped pet birds in Calgary are almost always budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds, conures, African greys, or larger parrots — species that are colourful, tame around people, and often vocal or whistling. If the bird lets you get fairly close, seems unafraid of humans, or is clearly a species that doesn't naturally occur in Alberta, it's a lost pet.

If instead you've found an injured owl, hawk, songbird, or other native species, that's a different situation entirely — please use our wild bird guide rather than this one, since wildlife needs a wildlife rehabilitator, not a pet-bird reunion process.

Step 2: Who to Call in Calgary

There's no single Calgary-wide "lost bird hotline," so cast a wide net quickly:

1. Local avian and exotic vet clinics — search "avian vet Calgary" or "exotic vet Calgary." Many pet owners call every avian clinic in the city when a bird escapes, so clinics often already know about local lost birds or can pass along your info.
2. Calgary Humane Society and area rescues — search for the Calgary Humane Society's lost-and-found line and any bird-specific rescues or parrot rescue groups active in Alberta. Some maintain their own lost-and-found boards.
3. Local exotic bird and parrot clubs — Calgary has active bird-owner communities on Facebook and elsewhere; a post with a photo and cross-street often reaches an owner within hours because these groups are tight-knit and watch for exactly this.