A320 flight crew reports bird strike at 500 ft on departure. Vibration is noted and the crew declares an emergency and returns to departure airport.

Narrative

Departing from ZZZ Rwy X; I was the Pilot Flying and the Captain was Pilot Not Flying. The weather was clear with no adverse conditions. On initial climb; at approximately 500 ft AGL; I saw 2 birds suddenly appear in front of us. The Captain later said he saw 3-4. At least 1 bird struck the #2 (right) engine. We both heard and felt the bird strike immediately. All engine parameters remained normal; but we both could hear and 'feel' that something was wrong with the #2 engine. The decision was quickly made to return to ZZZ for landing. The approach and landing were under weight and normal. Upon inspection on the ground; the #2 engine had many warped/deformed fan and exhaust blades but was otherwise intact. Supplemental information from ACN 814947: Night takeoff. Clear sky. Light wind. All external lights on. Climbing through 500 ft AGL; a flock of 4 birds appeared on the nose; out of the dark. Birds tried to dive. Birds were lost from view on the right side of the aircraft; followed by a loud thump and immediate #2 engine vibration. We declared an emergency; stayed on Tower frequency; turned downwind and landed at 140;000 lbs aircraft weight on runway. Postflight revealed major engine damage.