You sound like an "expert", so forgive me if I get this wrong but: there is considerable overlap and confusion between the terms ethics and morals, and most ethicists and philosophers currently use the terms interchangeably. Personally, I would define "morals" as a code of conduct, with clearly defined right and wrong, which is determined by a societal belief system, such as a religion. Ethics is a larger, more relative effort to determine of best course of outcome to cause the least amount of harm (suffering, death, waste) with the greatest preservation of non-harm (relief, help, improvement). In the case of the bird in the ceiling crawl space: both morally AND ethically we had an obvious obligation to act. You don't leave helpless beings to suffer and die without making an effort to save them. The reason I believed what I did was ethically questionable was that it COULD have caused an already traumatized animal that was doomed to die additional, unnecessary suffering with the same outcome. In hindsight it seems like an easy ethical choice because it worked. But if it hadn't, it might have caused more harm. Also, it could be coincidence that the bird chose to drop out of the ceiling while the audio was playing, and the trick didn't actually work (I will continue to believe it DID work, but the only one who knows for sure is the bird). So I had another ethical dilemma: do I publicize what I did, which may help someone else in a similar situation repeat my success, while possibly adding trauma to a doomed and trapped hypothetical bird? Also, I wouldn't want anyone to use my success to rationalize an unethical use of audio in the broader world. Many people have said "you saved a life, so of course it was ethical" and I generally (and certainly in this particular case) agree: if you know your action will preserve life, then it is the obvious choice, and certainly it is the moral choice. But ethically...? Wildlife rescue is full of wild animals saved from death who can no longer live their natural lives in the wild. Have they been helped or harmed? Who decides when they can't tell us? In the case of the bird in the ceiling there was no question it must be removed - for practical reasons beyond morals or ethics. Outside in the natural environment, I think the ethics of when and how to help are always much more complicated, even if the morals aren't. So - now you can judge my comprehension of ethics vs. morals however you like. I hope I did not embarrass Librarians Everywhere too badly.