GURGAON: A two-month-old laughing dove, perched on a tree in Sector 5, dropped to the ground after the sound of a high-decibel firecracker reverberated through the air, leaving it disoriented, according to its rescuer. The bird may never be able to fly again, doctors say."One of the bird's wings was damaged and bleeding. I immediately drove the bird in my car to the bird hospital," said Rashid, a commuter who saw the bird lying on the ground. Even though the bird is out of danger now, doctors say the damage to the wing could be permanent.Bird hospitals in the city say cases of injuries among birds have gone up by 30% in the last few days, and are expected to increase further after Diwali. "While earlier, we used to receive 6-8 birds a day, it has now gone up to more than 10-12 cases a day. Every year, number of cases go up before and on Diwali," said Dr Rajkumar at Jain Bird Hospital, a charitable bird hospital in the old city.Ornithologists say while the loud noise from firecrackers can disorient birds, the high level of air pollution at this time of the year also doesn't help. It has led to several cases of heart strokes and respiration difficulties among birds. There is a direct impact of air and noise pollution on the physical and emotional wellbeing of birds, said Swati Taneja, an ornithologist based in Dehradun. "Most birds have a sharper sense of hearing than humans, so they get a major shock when crackers are set off. While most birds suffer from acute respiratory diseases and need medical care, many get heart strokes because of high decibel levels on Diwali," she said.Birds with relatively smaller body size are the worst affected. "Birds like the house sparrow, pigeons, mynah and doves are severely affected. Sometimes, ashes from firecrackers fall into their nests and end up burning them or their eggs. It is awful to see beautiful winged creatures in pain," said Dr Rajkumar."Due to paddy burning in Punjab and Haryana, and the drop in temperature, there is already so much air pollution. Firecrackers on Diwali make the situation worse by adding both air and noise pollution. I hope people show a little more sensitivity towards birds," he added.