FOUND a cockatiel in Scarborough — how do I find the owner?
A grey cockatiel landed on my balcony railing in Scarborough (Kennedy/Eglinton) and let me bring her inside. She's clearly someone's pet — tame and well-fed. How do I track down the owner the right way?
Thank you for taking her in! Post 'found' notices everywhere (with a withheld detail only the owner would know, to verify), check for a leg band, and contact local vets/shelters. Owners are often frantically searching the same channels.
Keep her warm and quiet, offer cockatiel seed/millet and water. Don't give your exact location publicly — ask claimants to describe a marking to prove ownership. Sadly people do try to claim found birds that aren't theirs.
Bless you for catching her safely — a tame, well-fed cockatiel is almost certainly a missing pet whose owner is searching right now. To reunite responsibly:
- List her as 'found' on our Lost & Found Birds portal — it's designed to match lost and found birds across the GTA — plus Kijiji, Facebook lost-pet groups, Nextdoor, and PawBoost.
- Hold back one identifying detail (an exact marking, a band number) and ask claimants to describe it — this protects against false claims.
- Check for a leg band and contact nearby vets/shelters; owners call those first.
- Keep her comfortable: warm (~24°C), quiet, with cockatiel seed/millet and water.
If no owner turns up after a couple of weeks of genuine searching, reach out to a reputable rescue. Thank you for doing this the right way!