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Wild Bird Fund

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Wild Bird Fund

The Wild Bird Fund is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation and education center in NYC.
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07/17/2025

Norma is a fledgling herring gull. She arrived with multiple badly broken toenails, possibly from a rough first landing off the roof where she hatched. She was bleeding quite a bit the first day, but her feet are improving with care.

She’s quite stressed, so we’re working hard to make every adjustment we can to keep her calm.

She is eating, fortunately, and performing some impressive projectile poops at our staff, bless her.

📷: Rachel Frank

07/16/2025

Just as this fledgling catbird was starting to get the hang of things in the big world, under the attentive care of his parents, a person scooped him up and took him to a vet’s office, and they transferred him to us.

His finder no doubt meant well, thinking they were rescuing a baby. But what a shame that this bird won’t be raised in the wild by his catbird parents.

Remember: If a songbird is fully feathered and able to stand or hop, it’s a fledgling. This is a normal stage of development when a bird leaves the nest but is not independent. They can fly a little bit but may spend time on the ground or sitting bewildered in bushes. Unless they are injured or very lethargic, please let them be. If you’re not sure, watch for a while to see if their parents come to feed the bird, contact us or check our pinned post, A Field Guide to Fledglings.

Fortunately, this frowny catbird has our capable songbird team looking out for him. We’ll do all we can for him. But we are merely humans.

This is our busiest time of year. Your help is needed! Please consider donating: https://wbf.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/wbf/donation.jsp

📷: Lily Lugo

07/13/2025

It’s herring gull fledging season! These big gulls nest on rooftops around the city, and there’s a thriving colony on the green roof of the Javits Center. This is why a lot of our fledgling gulls come from Midtown Manhattan, as this one did.

For some reason, our intake rehabber blew right past the name Larry David and landed on Tadpole for this little guy, who arrived today just in time to hitch a ride to Toms River Avian Care along with our osprey patient and another fledgling herring gull. We wish them well and are grateful for our partners in care!

📷: Rachel Frank

07/11/2025

This young osprey spent all day sitting in a backyard on Staten Island after getting his right wing caught in the edge of a metal fire pit (unlit). Once he freed himself, he didn’t leave and clearly needed help. A member of our team was able to capture him last night.

The wing incident seems to be a secondary issue because this bird is a bit thin, very quiet and covered in louse flies, so there’s an underlying health problem. Late last night, we provided fluids and started him on several medications. Once he’s stable, we anticipate transferring him to the osprey whisperers at Toms River Avian Care. 🤍

While in our care, he’s called Gonzo. 💕

📷: Phyllis Tseng

07/10/2025

This talkative cottonball is a nestling tern — and somewhat of a mystery. He’s bigger than a common tern, our most common nesting species. Based on the size, markings and vocalizations, our team landed on royal tern, but there are a few other possibilities — all would be exciting and uncommon as breeders in our area.

We hope our shorebird specialist friends at Toms River Avian Care will let us know who this baby grows up to be. They’ve generously taken over this baby’s care for the rest of his journey, and we’re grateful!

🎥: Phyllis Tseng

07/08/2025

Hello to this downy woodpecker fledgling, an enthusiastic eater of worms. She’s been with us a week now, and we’re happy to say that she’s healthy and active. Also chatty! We can’t wait to see her ply her trade on the big trees of Central Park.

📷: Lily Lugo

07/06/2025

✨UPDATED GUIDE✨ Does that young songbird need your help? If the bird is a fledgling, the answer is: probably not.

A fledgling is a bird who’s just left the nest. They don’t fly much at first and might seem small or scruffy, but this is normal. If they can stand or hop and are covered in feathers, they’re likely fine. Their parents are usually nearby foraging for food to feed them.

A young bird only needs a rescue if they’re naked or partly naked (that’s a nestling), obviously injured or very lethargic. In those cases, please bring the bird to a wildlife rehabber right away. Never provide any food or water.

If a fledgling is in the street or in a high-foot-traffic area, it’s OK to move them to a nearby bush or somewhere safer but only a few feet away! The parents must still be able to find them or the bird won’t survive.

**Pigeons are the exception. Pigeons stay in the nest a long 4 weeks and look almost like adults when they fledge. Usually if a pigeon looks too young to be out of the nest (short wings, short tail, fuzzy head), they are.**

We hope this guide will help you identify the most common songbird fledglings seen in NYC and beyond during spring and summer. Contact us if you’re not sure! We love to puzzle over bird photos. 🦤

And please donate to your local wildlife rehabbers! https://wbf.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/wbf/donation.jsp

07/05/2025

Good morning. Here’s a squirrel eating a tomato.🍅

Our many spring squirrel babies are now transitioning into larger enclosures at the clinic and some into soft release cages outside. Meanwhile, we humans are taking a big cleansing breath in preparation for the August brood. Eastern gray squirrels typically have 2 rounds of babies, which means so do weeeee!

You say tomayto, we say tomahto. Let’s order some more food for these babies and discuss it over a salad. Please visit our donate page to help: https://wbf.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/wbf/donation.jsp 🥦

📷: Michelle Talich

07/04/2025

Yes, we’re open today! Wildlife rehab never takes a holiday. If you need us, we’ll be here 9-7, caring for 549 patients. (550, 551, 552....)

Please be considerate of wildlife today (and by extension your local wildlife rehabbers!):

⭐️ no personal fireworks
⭐️ no dogs on the beach
⭐️ take your trash out with you
⭐️ dispose of your fishing line

And have a safe Fourth everyone! 🍉

Your donations make our work possible: https://wbf.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/wbf/donation.jsp

📷: Phyllis Tseng, Sara Bucior

07/03/2025

Because robins do a lot of their foraging on the ground, especially in warm months when worms are plentiful, it’s common to see their fledglings standing, sitting or hop-hop-hopping. They’re polka-dotted, they’re fuzzy-headed and they give some of the best fledgefrown around.

And most of the time, they don’t need help. Their parents are nearby and foraging to feed them. If you’re not sure, watch for a bit to see if a parent shows up.

When does a fledgling need help?

If a young bird seems lethargic, has been sitting in the same place for hours, has a visible injury, or is covered in bugs, that bird does need your help. Gently place them in a box or paper bag and bring them to WBF or a wildlife rehabber near you.

If they’re active and alert but just in a dangerous spot, like the middle of a street, it’s good to gently move them somewhere safe, like a bush. But not far! Their parents must be able to find them.

And please never provide food or water. This will usually cause more harm than good, and can even be fatal.

Help a robin! Or blue jay, grackle, sparrow, duckling....the list is long! Donate to all our growing birds via bit.ly/wbfdonate

📷: Nooa Kuusisto

07/01/2025

DUCKLINGS! So. Many. Ducklings.
Ducklings ducklings ducklings ducklings!

Every group of ducklings that arrives at the clinic is assigned a letter. We’re now up to G! Groups A and B have been released, but we still have an in-house duckling population of 32 from 5 families, all mallards. The logistics of their separate housing, feeding and swim times are rather complicated, but fortunately our waterfowl team are well up to the task.

If you’d like to help us feed all these many ducklings, please visit bit.ly/wbfdonate 🐤🐤🐤

🎥: Raina Bien, Rachel Frank

06/28/2025

We spent a brief but memorable couple of days in the company of this fledgling peregrine, who was found on the street near the Brooklyn Bridge. This healthy fledgling likely would have been fine after a few days, but the hazards for an endangered raptor under those circumstances are too great.

Already very strong and defensive, this falcon will no doubt have a long, fruitful career as a hunter. He’s now in the capable hands of The Raptor Trust, who will raise him the rest of the way and work with the NYS DEC on release.

Baby season is now in FULL THROTTLE here. Please consider donating to help us care for all these precious kids: bit.ly/wbfdonate

📷: Terra Tirapelli

Address

New York, NY

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 7pm
Tuesday	9am - 7pm
Wednesday	9am - 7pm
Thursday	9am - 7pm
Friday	9am - 7pm
Saturday	9am - 7pm
Sunday	9am - 7pm

Website

https://www.wildbirdfund.org/

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Keeping NYC wild

The only wildlife rehabilitation center in New York City, the nonprofit Wild Bird Fund treats more than 7,000 patients a year, including red-tailed hawks and peregrine falcons, as well as gulls, robins, songbirds and, yes, lots of pigeons. Squirrels, opossums and groundhogs too! The city can be a tough place for wildlife, but it’s also a thriving habitat, with more than 250 species of birds recorded in Central Park. We aim to keep it that way. To this end, we also provide wildlife education programs to schools and organizations throughout the city. We do all this through the generous donations of many caring New Yorkers.

Photo: Groucho, the Eastern screech-owl by Ardith Bondi