Recapturing Escaped Birds

Unless the bird that has escaped is very tame and already used to sitting on your hand or head, you have no chance of coaxing them back inside the cage with a treat. If you have more than one bird in the cage, the calls of the other birds will only further panic your escapee. The only real option you have in situations like these is to net the bird (see the section on Netting a Bird in the Finch Handling section of this guide).

Once a finch such as this Star Finch has escaped outdoors, you'll be lucky to recapture it

Recapturing an Escaped Bird Outdoors

If your finch has escaped from an outdoor bird aviary, the only thing that will lure them back is the calls of his aviary co-inhibitors. Netting a bird outdoors is much harder than indoors, and if your bird has flown further afield the only hope you have is that the calls of the other birds will lure them back.