The new Wild Bird Fund Center has opened on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Each year, the Wild Bird Fund, a non-profit 501(c)(3), provides emergency care for over 1000 wild birds and animals in New York City. Working with Animal General and the Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine, two veterinary hospitals across the street, the Wild Bird Fund is the central resource in NYC for wildlife emergency care and rehabilitation. This critical work is accomplished through private donations and mostly volunteer labor.
New York City is a major stopover on the East Coast migratory flyway, and over 355 bird species live in the Big Apple or take refuge here during the spring and fall migrations. Many are injured by flying into buildings that have sprung up along these ancient migratory pathways or by cat attacks, vehicles, and human interference.
Red-tailed Hawk
What We Do
It starts with a call from someone who has found an injured, ill, or orphaned bird or animal. The rescuer brings the patient in for a full exam, which can include wound care, x-rays, surgery, splinting, diagnostic tests, and medicine when necessary. The Wild Bird Fund cares for all federally protected birds and critical cases, and will train the rescuer to care for the non-critical patients. So far this year, over 4,000 people called the Wild Bird Fund seeking information and help for distressed wildlife.
Herring Gull and Cesar
The rehabilitators at the Wild Bird Fund see distressed wild birds and small wild mammals Monday through Saturday, from 1pm to 6pm. Please call 646-306-2862 for an appointment. We also encourage you to contact us if you are interested in fostering wildlife in need.
The Wild Bird Fund and its rehabilitators are licensed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and hold a Federal Migratory Bird Permit License issued by the Department of the Interior.
Baby Squirrel Feeding
Vision for the Future
In 2012, the Wild Bird Fund doubled its capacity to treat injured animals by opening its dedicated wildlife rehabilitation and education facility in NYC, and is now full beyond that capacity. To become a state-of-the-art facility, the Center needs incubators, ICU units, operating room equipment, raptor cages, and other items as well as more dedicated volunteers.
A tax-deductible donation to the Wild Bird Fund will not only help thousands of injured birds and animals, it will also give you the satisfaction of fostering your own precious connection to nature—the wildlife of New York City. The Wild Bird Fund receives no funding from government agencies, and relies entirely on donations from caring individuals like you. Please support New York City’s first wildlife rehabilitation center. Donate here»
