How long does it take a hummingbird to recover after hitting a window?

Quick Answer

Hummingbirds usually recover within a few minutes after hitting and being stunned by a window. With time to rest and feed, they typically fully recover within a day or less. However, recovery time depends on the severity of the impact and resulting injuries. Mildly stunned hummingbirds may shake off the collision in seconds to minutes. More severe collisions can require hours to days for recovery.

What Happens When a Hummingbird Hits a Window

Hummingbirds are a frequent victim of window collisions, especially during migration seasons. This occurs for several reasons:

• Their rapid fluttering flight and inability to hover for long means they cannot slow down quickly.
• They are territorial and aggressive, and will attack other birds seen in window reflections.
• Windows reflect trees and sky that attract hummingbirds.
• Hummingbirds get drawn to feeders seen through windows.

When a fast-moving hummingbird hits a window, the impact stuns the bird. At low to moderate speeds, the collision may just stun the hummingbird for a short time. At higher speeds, however, the impact can cause more serious injuries such as:

• Broken bones – wings, legs, beak
• Concussion or neurological disturbance
• External cuts and bruises
• Internal bleeding and organ damage

The speed, angle, and part of the window struck influence the severity of the injuries. Direct high-speed head-on collisions have the highest injury risk. Glancing blows and hitting feet-first or wings-first are less dangerous.

Short-Term Effects and Recovery Time

When a hummingbird hits a window, the most immediate effect is being stunned. This causes the bird to fall to the ground or flutter weakly. Lightly stunned hummingbirds may recover within seconds to a few minutes.

Here are the short-term effects and typical recovery times:

• No injury – The bird is just briefly stunned. May shake its head and fly off in seconds to a couple minutes.
• Mildly dazed and bruised – The hummingbird recovers in 5 to 30 minutes. It may perch for a while before flying off.
• Concussed – A head-on collision can cause a concussion. The bird will be very dazed and unable to fly for 30 minutes to a few hours.
• Injured – Collisions causing injuries like wing, leg or beak fractures require a longer recovery time of hours or longer. Injured hummingbirds often go into shock.

Most injured hummingbirds will recover on their own within 12-24 hours if left in a safe location with access to food. Those with more severe, debilitating injuries may never fully recover, however.

Factors That Influence Recovery Time

Several key factors affect how long it takes a hummingbird to recover after colliding with a window:

Collision speed – High speed crashes cause more serious injuries that require longer recovery times. Slow glancing blows only briefly stun the bird.

Collision angle – Direct head-on impacts have higher injury risk than glancing sideswipes.

Hit location – Strikes to vital head and chest areas cause more problems than hits to feet or wings.

Age and health – Younger healthier birds recover faster than older, weaker hummers.

External temperature – Cold stress slows recovery. Keep stunned hummingbirds warm.

Food availability – Access to quick energy from nectar or sugar water helps recovery.

How to Help a Hummingbird that Hit a Window

Here are steps to help a hummingbird that has hit a window:

1. Gently pick up the bird and place in a ventilated box lined with a towel or t-shirt. Keep it warm. Do not try to give food/water.
2. Once the bird can perch upright, lightly mist with room temperature sugar water (1 part sugar: 4 parts water). Avoid overwetting.
3. Let the hummingbird rest in a quiet spot for 30-60 minutes. Check periodically but keep noise and activity levels low.
4. After the recovery period, open the box outside and release the hummingbird near flowers or a feeder.
5. If the bird cannot fly well yet, leave the box outside with food and water for several hours.
6. Call a wildlife rehabilitator if the bird remains stunned or injured for over 4 hours.

Avoid handling injured hummingbirds too much. With time in a calm environment and access to food, most recover on their own. Careful follow-up monitoring is recommended.

Preventing Hummingbird Window Collisions

Here are some tips to prevent window strikes by hummingbirds in your yard:

• Apply decals, strips of tape or other patterns on windows to break up reflections.
• Close curtains and blinds where possible to reduce see-through areas.
• Move feeders closer to windows or further away so hummers don’t build up collision speed.
• Install exterior screens on problem window areas.
• Use ultraviolet reflective glass which is more visible to birds.

Avoiding placing feeders directly against windows will also discourage collisions. Hummingbirds tend to crash into the areas they frequently feed and hover around.

Conclusion

Most hummingbirds recover quickly after being stunned by a window collision. Within minutes to hours, they usually regain normal function with rest and food access. Severe injuries can extend recovery to days, however. Careful handling and monitoring are advised before releasing a formerly stunned hummer. Preventative measures like screens and window markings can also help reduce risky window strikes. With some post-collision care and tweaks to landscaping, hummingbirds can happily get back to their energetic buzzing activity around your home.