By Colleen Helps

• Is the bird wild or distressed? - A hysterical bird may not survive.

• Is the bird agressive/assertive enough? - A too tame bird will not survive.
  

• Has the illness really been cured?
  

• Has the bird been dewormed?
  

• Is the bird fat enough to sustain a weight loss over the first two weeks?
  

• Does the bird ever sit puffed up or look listless? - These are bad signs.
  

• Are the claws and the beak strong?
  

• Can the bird catch or pick it's natural food? Is there a way to adequately support-feed the bird for 2-4 weeks?

• Does it know what rain and a storm is?

• Is the bird waterproof and can it fly with wet feathers?

• Are there stress lines on the feathers? - (in which case there will also be weaknesses in bones).

• Can the bird fly as fast as it's species requires, sustain flight, height and land easily and is the angle of take-off steep enough?
  

• Is the release site familiar to the bird?

• Are there other birds of the same breed in the area? - (necessary for social birds and a threat to solitary birds).
  

• Is there enough natural food, is the natural habitat correct and is the area free of natural predators and manmade hazards?
  

• Is the bird familiar with the sounds and the other birds in the area? Is it acclimatized, ie. has it slept outside for some time without a problem?