Wild Bird Fund

Wild Bird Fund The Wild Bird Fund is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation and education center in NYC.
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It’s nesting season! And most of the young birds you’re likely to see out and about are actually fledglings. These are b...
06/01/2026

It’s nesting season! And most of the young birds you’re likely to see out and about are actually fledglings. These are birds that have left the nest right on schedule. They’re still learning to fly while being fed by their parents. They might look small and scruffy, but this is a normal stage of development, and it’s important to let them be raised by their parents.

So, let’s answer the question: Does that bird need help?

🐤 If the bird is a nestling (naked or partially naked) —Yes. Return the bird to the nest or bring the bird to a wildlife rehabber.

🐤 If the bird is a fledgling (fully covered in feathers, even if scruffy, and can stop or hop) — No. Leave them to be raised by their parents, who are nearby and feeding them.

🐤 If the bird is cold, lethargic, covered in bugs or injured —Yes. Please bring the bird to a wildlife rehabber.

🐤 If the bird is in a dangerous spot, like a road — Yes, a little. You can move them into a bush or onto a ledge, but only a few feet away! Their parents must be able to find them.

If you’re not sure, please send us a photo or ask a wildlife rehabber near you.

*Please never give food or water. We know it’s tempting, but this almost always causes harm.*

“It’s not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not even lapis. It’s actually....”Eastern bluebird! Only our second bluebi...
05/31/2026

“It’s not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not even lapis. It’s actually....”

Eastern bluebird! Only our second bluebird patient ever, this lovely male was brought to us from outside the city. He’s missing all but one tail feather, which may mean a near miss with an outdoor cat.

The bluebird is the state bird of New York, although they’re infrequently seen here in NYC. Our most colorful thrush, they prefer open fields lined with trees, and they nest in cavities, so suburban and agricultural landscapes suit them better.

📷: Phyllis Tseng

05/30/2026

Mom is back on the nest, and all is right with the world for two Brooklyn eyasses and their hard-working dad.

We rehabilitated this female red-tailed hawk, called Avalon, over the past week, treating her for rodenticide poisoning and a serious intestinal infection. We knew she had babies to feed and that dad had taken on the full hunting duties in her absence, so as soon as she was done with her course of medication and passed her flight test, we quickly brought her home.

She took a few laps around the area to get her bearings and stretch her wings, then she quickly returned to the nest, perched somewhat precariously on a high-rise air conditioner.

Dad soon arrived calling and with dinner, and Avalon left the nest to hunt. They’ll be working nonstop to feed these kids for the next 6 weeks or so.

As we watched, Avalon brought a new rat to the nest. It’s a miracle that any young hawks survive to fledge considering the bait boxes everywhere. Don’t use rodenticide! The hawks will help us control the rat population if we can make the city safer for them.

Enormous thanks to everyone who helped with the rescue and release!

🎥: Catherine Quayle, Michelle Talich, with Rachel Frank
📷: Angela Panetta

Rawr! 🦖Be afraid! He is 116 grams of fury, feathers and mousicles. Our first fledgling American kestrel of the season co...
05/29/2026

Rawr! 🦖

Be afraid! He is 116 grams of fury, feathers and mousicles.

Our first fledgling American kestrel of the season collided with a window during his first few days or hours out of the nest. He's doing well in care, fortunately, and has recently been joined by two other fledglings. Together they plan to take over the world, just as soon as they break out of here. But first they'll have to spend a little time with our friends at The Raptor Trust to finish up their training for the wild.

📷: Tristan Higginbotham

Rodenticide is horrible for raptors and other wildlife year round, but it’s especially devastating during nesting season...
05/28/2026

Rodenticide is horrible for raptors and other wildlife year round, but it’s especially devastating during nesting season, when hawks are hunting much more frequently to feed their growing brood.

This red-tailed hawk had to leave her mate alone to care for their active nest in Brooklyn — at least partially because of rodenticide toxicity. Now named Avalon, she was found drenched and unable to fly during the weekend’s rain (photo 3). Many thanks to her rescuers!

Bruising around the keel indicated internal bleeding caused by the anticoagulant used in most rodenticides. We’ve also been treating her for clostridium, a gastrointestinal bacteria. Fortunately, she’s responded well to treatment, and we hope to release her back to her family, possibly as soon as tomorrow.

Please discourage your building from putting out rat poison. It’s not effective at controlling the rat population, and it causes so much additional harm to our native wildlife.

If you’d like to help us care for hawks like Avalon, we’d greatly appreciate your donation! bit.ly/wbfdonate

📷: Terra Tirapelli, Tzvi Deutsch

We have a house full of herring gulls right now, but our newest arrival had a surprise for us.This gull is banded! We re...
05/27/2026

We have a house full of herring gulls right now, but our newest arrival had a surprise for us.

This gull is banded! We regularly receive banded peregrine falcons, but it’s rare to admit another species with a band. From the band data, we learned that this gull, now called Boadie, is 15 years old! Gulls can live well into their 20s and even 30s, but most don’t survive their first year. And although some herring gulls migrate, this one was hatched on Swinburne Island off Staten Island. He’s a lifelong New Yorker who’s no doubt anxious to get back out there in time to see the Knicks win the finals.

Boadie arrived emaciated, likely a result of internal parasites and/or bacteria. We’re treating for likely infections and will be doing some testing to determine what’s ailing him.

📷: Suzanne Highland

Before they become the baddest kids on the block, juvenile ravens are so.... dreamy. The blue eyes, the chonky feathered...
05/27/2026

Before they become the baddest kids on the block, juvenile ravens are so.... dreamy. The blue eyes, the chonky feathered beak, the pink fledgefrown. 💕

As if this special visitor weren’t enough, we’re also hosting two fledgling crows — one American crow and one fish crow. Serious crushtown!

This trio of hearththrobs is receiving care for a variety of ailments, including bacterial infections and potential West Nile Virus (very common among corvids), but they’ve been cleared to socialize, and being together is enormously helpful to their emotional well-being.

These smart birds imprint easily on humans when young, so we do our best to limit interactions, and when we do, we wear mirrored visors. Just us corvids here. 🖤

Can you tell the difference between the raven and the crows?

📷: Terra Tirapelli

They’re frowny. They’re speckled. They’re impatient for food! NYC is blessed yet again with a new class of fledgling Ame...
05/26/2026

They’re frowny. They’re speckled. They’re impatient for food! NYC is blessed yet again with a new class of fledgling American robins, chirping and hopping and waiting for GrubHub (literal grubs!) from mom and dad.

Because robins forage on the ground anyway, you’re likely to see these fledglings hopping in the grass. They might look very young, but these kids are in a normal stage of development, learning to fly and feed themselves with their parents’ guidance. They typically don’t need any help. If you’re not sure, please ask us.

This little cutie is being treated for a broken toe.🥺

Your donations make this work possible! If you’d like to help, please visit bit.ly/wbfdonate

📷: Phyllis Tseng

Meet the A Team.💥These are our oldest group of mallard ducklings, and they’re doing great. Healthy, growing, enjoying th...
05/24/2026

Meet the A Team.💥

These are our oldest group of mallard ducklings, and they’re doing great. Healthy, growing, enjoying their swims and generally wreaking minor chaos wherever they can. We have three other duckling groups who get progressively younger, for a total duckling population of 17.

These ducklings have been with us about 3 weeks, after being found in a backyard without their mother. Mother ducks have an unfortunate tendency to nest in places that their babies can’t get out of, like fenced-in backyards, rooftops or balconies. If you have a situation involving a duck family that’s stuck at your home, please contact us or a wildlife rehabber near you to help. It’s always best if the family can stay together, and we can provide guidance, and sometimes a rescue, when these situations arise.

Your donations make this work possible! If you’d like to help, please visit bit.ly/wbfdonate

📷: Rachel Frank

The bay-breasted warbler has one of the most unique color combos of all our spring visitors and is pretty hard to mis-ID...
05/22/2026

The bay-breasted warbler has one of the most unique color combos of all our spring visitors and is pretty hard to mis-ID this time of year. Conversely, in fall, bay-breasteds become pale and streaky, almost exactly like blackpoll warblers, and cause much frustration for birders.

This gorgeous male recovered from window-collision injuries and was released along with his suitemates, a male Canada warbler and a female common yellowthroat.

Spring migration is slowing down a bit but there are still wonders to come!

Help these birds migrate safely by turning out lights after 11pm and making your windows bird-safe with markings or screens. If you live or work in a building that regularly kills birds with its unprotected windows, say something! There are lots of good products and design solutions for this highly preventable problem.

📷: Lily Lugo

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565 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY
10024

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