Why sick/injured birds need heat support, & how to do it safely
by Christina Gravalis, Founder & Executive Director/
Cascadia Pigeon Rescue
Birds struggle with temperature control during illness far more than humans because their entire physiology is built around maintaining an extremely high metabolic rate with very little margin for error. When that system is disrupted, even slightly, they can’t compensate as easily as mammals can. Here’s why.
Birds normally run very hot, usually around 104–107°F. Their metabolism is always running fast, and they rely on that high internal heat to keep enzymes functioning, digest food quickly, support flight muscles, and maintain immunity. To keep that temperature steady, they use constant metabolic fine-tuning instead of the heavy insulation mammals rely on. When they get sick, injured, or stop eating, their fast metabolism crashes quickly, and so does their ability to generate heat. Once heat production drops, their core temperature can fall rapidly, especially because they have small bodies and lose heat to the environment much faster than we do.
Humans, by contrast, have much slower metabolisms, thicker insulation, and more body mass, so we lose heat far more slowly and can tolerate fluctuations better. Birds also cannot shiver effectively when they’re severely ill or neurologically compromised, and many illnesses blunt their ability to vasoconstrict or behaviorally thermoregulate. If they’re not eating, they lose their primary heat source because digestion and metabolism are what generate most of their warmth.
All of this means that a sick bird can become hypothermic in minutes, and once their temperature drops even a few degrees, their organs stop functioning properly, they can’t digest food, and their immune response weakens—creating a dangerous downward spiral. This is why external heat support is one of the most important first steps in avian triage, even before fluids or medications.
Heat is one of the most effective supportive measures for a sick or injured bird because it compensates for their high metabolic needs and prevents hypothermia, which can become life-threatening quickly. A bird that is cold cannot digest food properly, cannot mount an immune response, and often becomes progressively weaker. Providing controlled warmth reduces the metabolic load and helps stabilize them long enough for fluids, nutrition, and medication to take effect.
Heat should be given whenever a bird is lethargic, fluffed up, not eating, injured, has head trauma, is in shock, is wet or chilled, or is showing neurological symptoms that reduce normal thermoregulation. It is also appropriate for birds with fractures, infections, weakness, parasitic loads, or after a predator attack. Any bird that is quiet, sitting low, or not responsive enough to stand normally is almost always safer with external heat. Young birds, underweight birds, and birds recovering from anesthesia also require supplemental warmth.
Heat should not be given if the bird is actively overheating, panting with an open beak, holding the wings out from the body, has a high fever that you’ve confirmed by thermometer, or is in a very hot environment already. If the bird is panting rapidly from respiratory distress rather than temperature, you still avoid high heat and instead provide mild warmth and lots of ventilation. Heat should also not be used if the bird cannot escape it; there must always be a warm side and a cooler side so the bird can choose what it needs.
Safe ways to provide heat include
placing the bird in a small carrier or box with a heating pad under half of it (so there is a warm and a cool side) set to low or medium
using a radiant heat panel designed for animals, or
placing the carrier inside a warm (not humid) incubator-like setup around 85 to 95°F depending on age and condition.
Towels should not directly touch a heating element, and the bird should never be put directly on a heat source. Warm air, not hot surfaces, is safer. You can warm the ambient temperature by tenting a towel over part of the carrier while leaving plenty of airflow. A heat lamp should be used only with extreme caution and at a safe distance, because it can cause burns or dehydration if misjudged.
The goal is steady, gentle, consistent warmth. You want the bird alert enough to move, not panting, not listless, and able to choose where to sit. If it shifts away from the warm side, lower the temperature slightly. If it stays glued to the warm side, it likely needs a bit more support. Stabilizing temperature is often the first step that keeps a compromised bird alive long enough for proper medical care.
If a bird is too neurologically impaired, injured, or weak to move toward or away from the heat, you have to control the environment for them, because they cannot self-regulate. This is a common situation with head trauma, shock, severe illness, or leg injuries, and the goal is to prevent both chilling and overheating while keeping conditions stable.
When a bird cannot reposition itself, the safest approach is to provide mild, even ambient warmth rather than a strong directional heat source. Instead of heating only one side of the carrier, warm the whole enclosure to a gentle, steady temperature—usually around 82–88°F for adult pigeons and doves unless they are severely hypothermic. This level of warmth supports metabolism without risking heat stress. You can achieve this by placing a low-setting heating pad beneath the entire enclosure but separated by a towel layer, or by using a radiant heat panel or incubator-style setup that distributes heat evenly.
It helps to monitor closely by touch and observation. If the bird’s feet and body feel cool, increase the warmth slightly. If the bird begins to pant or hold the wings slightly away from the body, reduce the temperature. Birds that cannot move rely entirely on you to maintain that narrow safe range, so check them every 10–20 minutes at first until the temperature is stable.
If uneven heat is unavoidable—such as when using a pad under half the box—place the bird physically closer to the warmer area but maintain a lower overall temperature, and insulate the bird from direct contact using folded towels to buffer the heat. Your goal is to avoid hot spots. You can also gently rotate the bird’s position every so often if medically appropriate, making sure they are not lying against a surface that has become too warm.
In these cases, the bird’s inability to move makes controlled, moderate, uniform warmth the safest option. It supports their metabolic needs without relying on their damaged ability to thermoregulate, and it buys precious time for medications, fluids, and nutrition to work.
If you’re not sure what to do, please reach out to someone at Cascadia anytime for advice, on Facebook or through the contact info on the website.