Hello Survivors, Rob Raskin here again to show you how to survive in any sort of emergency. One important skill you should learn is how to capture birds. Birds have survived for millions of years and will likely be around in any type of emergency situation, no matter how dire. They can serve as a valuable resource, and can also be trained to accomplish important tasks, such as communication between you and any contacts you may have on the outside world.

Feed Them

A wild bird will interact with you for one reason only: they are hungry. Make sure you have some bird feed with you if you try interacting with birds. If you are planning on capturing a bird for food, you can simply set out some feed and place it under a trap, such as a box under a stick attached to a string. When the bird goes under the box, you can pull the string and capture the bird. However, if you plan on taming a few, you should feed them by hand.

Be Consistent

Taming a wild bird will take plenty of work, but it can reward you with a useful creature that can fly long distances, and which does not run the risk of interception by modern surveillance techniques. A pigeon, for instance, can fly hundreds of miles to deliver a message, which can be especially useful if you are running low on supplies or are in some other kind of distress. Show up at the same spot every day with food, and it’s likely the same birds will interact with you. One or two may consistently return to you.

Give it a Home

One way to keep birds around is to build a nest or other kind of home for them. This can encourage them to return more and will allow you the chance to interact with them further. Always approach a wild animal with caution, especially a bird. If they exhibit signs of fear, such as rapid breathing, make sure that you hold your breath and remain motionless, so they have a chance to calm down. Your body language will signal intent, and if you display a nonthreatening demeanor, you can avoid the trouble that happen if you are too aggressive in your attempts to tame them.

Taming birds can take time and effort, but if you are willing to invest in it, you could be more than paid off for your time. Birds can be an excellent source of food and raw materials, and can also serve you well.