How to Safely Remove a Trapped Hummingbird

HummingbirdHobbyist
HummingbirdHobbyist
To safely remove a hummingbird from a trapped space like a home or garage, lure the hummingbird out with a bright colored object that is the color red, orange, pink, or yellow. Turn off all the interior lights, and in a calm and quiet demeanor, attempt to direct the hummingbird back outside. 

The hummingbird feeder in your garden can sometimes confuse these little birds and consequently get them trapped inside your home. The good news is they don’t do this to disturb you. Chances are, they were looking for a food source and were attracted into your house because of the indoor lighting, if the outside is darker.

Hummingbirds may also get trapped in garages or sheds for the same reasons. Learning how to get a hummingbird out of your house, shed, or garage can be tricky; but doable.

Check out this article for the crucial FAQs and answers that will help your trapped hummingbird escape safely.

Common Places Hummingbirds Get Trapped In

Besides your home, this little bird can end up trapped inside the following objects:

  • garages
  • playhouses
  • sheds
  • screened-in porches

Color is one of the main reasons hummingbirds may fly through a garage door or get inside a playhouse. If you keep flowers inside your porch or shed, they probably got in looking for food.

HummingbirdHobbyist
HummingbirdHobbyist

Why Do Hummers Enter Homes in the First Place?

Even though they’re super bright, hummingbirds can still behave erratically. If they enter your home, they don’t do it to attack you or scare you. Some of the common reasons for this include:

  • they’re looking for food
  • they’re attracted to red objects inside your home
  • if it’s dark outside and you have a light on, they’ll follow it
  • if you have a garden, they’ll be nearby so they can get in
  • you have skylights

What Does It Mean if a Hummingbird Flies Into Your House?

The little guy that visits you inside your home may also have a symbolic meaning. Due to their flying abilities, hummingbirds are considered a symbol of resilience. People also connect them with eternity and infinity, as well as positivity. Hummingbirds forecast love, joy, good luck, and great news.

Dangers Inside Your Home

Trapping hummingbirds inside your house is illegal, but they’re wild birds, and mistakes happen. If you notice a hummer flying around frantically and chirping inside your living room, you should be aware of some dangers they can be exposed to.

Since anything with bright colors can attract them, they may fly all around and become harder to catch. Your ceiling fans are hazardous for the trapped bird, so turn those off as soon as you notice the hummingbird inside.

Even though they fly fast, hummingbirds (especially baby hummingbirds) can become prey for your pets. Remove your pet from the room as soon as possible to avoid any further accidents.

HummingbirdHobbyist
HummingbirdHobbyist

What Should You Do There’s a Hummingbird in Your House?

Before you proceed to help the hummingbird get out, shut down your ceiling fans, close all the other rooms, closets, and cupboards, and remove your pets from the area. Tell your children to stay quiet or stay away from the room and do anything you can to calm the bird down.

If possible, remove any objects with the colors red, orange, pink, yellow, and similar. Turn off the TV and any music and reduce or remove other loud noises. Close and pull the curtains on all other windows to darken them and leave just one open to create an escape route.

If the bird refuses to leave, you’ll have to set up an attractant to lure it outside. You can try to use a bird-feeder if you have one, just follow the nectar recipe for sugar water and place the feeder where the hummingbird can see it (you can DIY one or purchase it on Amazon). Additionally, you can put any other object with bright colors outside like toys, red flowers, or something big like a red pillow.

The bird should fly outside in pursuit of the red object or brighter light and atmosphere. If the bird still likes it inside, you can try to chase it away with any long-handled object. However, remain careful not to touch the bird, as you can easily hurt it. It would help if you let it hop on the handle or a stick and take it outside.

If you manage to get it out and still looks frantic, it might get right back inside since it’s scared. Make sure you close all the potential entrances to prevent it from returning.

How to Pick up a Hummingbird?

Picking up the hummingbird should be your last resort. You would have to be super gentle because any pressure on their tiny bodies can result in an injury or death. To be successful in this endeavor, you’ll have to keep chasing the bird until it gets tired.

Use a light dry towel or cloth piece to gently pick it up since it’s delicate. Bring it outside to the nectar to earn its trust. Leave it to take a few sips and rest, as it will take a few minutes to come to its senses.

How Do You Get a Hummingbird Out of a Window?

If you have a hummer stuck to your window, remove the window screen and open doors if necessary. Turn off all the lights and make the doors and windows brighter. The bird should notice the light and leave.

HummingbirdHobbyist
HummingbirdHobbyist

How to Get the Hummer Out of the Garage/Shed?

This migratory bird often gets stuck in garages. Something as small as the red release handle can get their attention, and they can fly in. To get it out, open garage doors and leave them be. Since these are probably the only doors in your garage, they should go as soon as they see the light.

Preventing Hummers From Entering Inside in the Future

Sometimes, no matter how often you remove the hummer from your home, it can still get back inside. Luckily, you can prevent these silly birds from doing so. Here’s how:

  • remove all bright-colored objects from the entrance of your home, including flowers
  • keep your screen doors and windows closed
  • remove the bird feeder from your front doors and place it further away

Final Word

Hummingbirds can sometimes end up inside your home. They’ll most likely get in because they need food or got attracted by a shiny, colorful object. The best way to remove the hummingbird is to open the window and keep the room dark. They should see the outside and leave.

If the bird really won’t go, the only thing left to do is to catch it. However, you should avoid touching it since its body is super sensitive. If you want to prevent hummingbirds from entering your home, keep the feeders distant and close the screen door.

Tara Summerville

Tara Summerville is a freelance writer that loves her backyard birdfeeders. She enjoys sitting on her deck with a cup of coffee, watching cardinals, blue jays, finches, and chickadees munch away at her backyard offerings. Her fascination with birds began as a child; spending afternoons at her grandma's house watching and identifying birds. She has since carried her love of songbirds into adulthood and ensures no bird in her yard goes hungry!

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