Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center

01/12/2025

⚠️Mystery Bird ID Reveal⚠️

The correct answer is a Blue Jay! Both male and female birds have bright blue feathers and a crest on their head. They have noisy calls and can even mimic hawks. You can find them year-round thought the US East coast and Midwest.

01/11/2025

This year, we have already admitted 6 birds with injuries due to discarded fishing gear. This is your reminder to please be mindful of of your gear and to properly dispose of any hooks and line after use. Keeping monofilament and hooks out of the environment can prevent a wild animal from entanglement and injury. Together, we can do our part and protect our beautiful Keys wildlife!

01/10/2025

Join us on Monday to learn about bird adaptations and species native to the Florida Keys!

Monday, January 13 11 am Join Sara Reed from the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center to learn all about the unique birds of the Florida Keys and the Center’s role in rescuing them.

01/10/2025

Happy Freedom Friday🦅

Last Saturday, we hosted a public release of a Great White Heron at Founders Park! This individual was found emaciated and cold floating in a local canal. After 36 days of care, they were ready and eager to return to the wild. Thank you to everyone who joined us in setting this beautiful bird free!

01/09/2025

⚠️Mystery Bird ID⚠️

We have a very difficult bird this week! This common songbird can be seen at backyard feeders and is known for their noisy call.

Comment your guesses!

01/08/2025

If you have ever noticed pumpkins, cardboard or cat toys in our bird’s enclosures, you are seeing our bird’s enrichment!

Enrichment is a fun way to change up our resident’s surroundings and challenges them to use their natural skills that would be used in the wild! This can be seen as natural perching, toys or a different food item. If you would like to help us as we expand the enrichment we offer to our sanctuary birds, you can check out our enrichment wish list: https://a.co/esODf2t

Visit the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary to see enrichment in action!

01/07/2025

Pool Party 💧

Our hospital was getting crowded with new intakes, so once these shorebirds were ready to be upgraded to a larger enclosure we moved them outside together. We are able to group birds together who naturally live around each other together so they can encourage each other to eat and bathe like in this video!

01/06/2025

Health Checks

In early December, we finished up our yearly health checks on all of our sanctuary residents. Each bird was given an in-depth exam checking their weight, vision, wings and feathers.

The last birds to attend their checkups were our Short-tailed Hawks, Lightning and Bolt, who even had X-rays taken!

01/05/2025

⚠️Mystery Bird ID Reveal⚠️

If you guessed a Magnificent Frigatebird you are correct! These birds are a common sight in the Keys as they soar over the islands. Males have a bright red throat pouch during breeding season while females have a white chest. Juvenile (pictured here) sport a white head and chest. Their population is declining due to development on islands they rely on for breeding.

01/04/2025

Our fist patient of 2025

On Wednesday, we received a Royal Tern that was injured in a boat collision. A paddleboarder found the bird, paddled all the way back to shore, and brought it to our hospital for treatment. We’re deeply thankful for everyone who shares our dedication to protecting and saving wildlife, and we look forward to your continued support as we head into the new year.

01/03/2025

Happy Freedom Friday 🦅

Last Friday, we released two juvenile Brown Pelicans! One Pelican was with us for a month after a fishing hook tore a small hole in its pouch. The other Pelican was with us for almost one year! This individual was tangled in fishing line and had his wing feathers cut while someone tried to free them. We were so excited when we saw their flight feathers were grown back and healthy!

Are you interested in experiencing a private bird release? Our new Flying Free program allows individuals or small groups to experience the thrill of watching a bird return to the wild! Learn more here: https://www.keepthemflying.org/flying-free-releases

01/03/2025

Public Release 🕊

Join us tomorrow, Saturday January 4th for the public release of a Great Whiter Heron at Founders Park. We will be releasing this newly rehabilitated bird on the beach at noon. This heron was admitted at the end of November after they were found floating in a canal. This unique bird is now healthy and ready to fly free!

01/02/2025

⚠️Mystery Bird ID⚠️

This bird can be seen soaring effortlessly with a deep forked tail. They feed by grabbing fish from the surface of the water and will also stealing food from other seabirds. They are one of the only seabirds where males and females look extremely different.

Comment any guesses below!

01/01/2025

If you are looking for a relaxing activity this New Years, head to the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary! Take a stroll through the mangroves and say hi to our non-releasable resident birds 💚

The sanctuary is open sunrise to sunset every day of the year!

01/01/2025

Holiday Intake 🦉

This nestling Barn Owl was found after it fell from its nest. After admission, it was immediately placed in an incubator to keep it warm. This nestling is now eating very well on its own and is growing every single day!

12/30/2024

Sanctuary Spotlight 🔆

Meet Leo, our resident Barred Owl! Leo has been with the Wild Bird Center since he was admitted in 2014 with a broken wing. His wing successfully healed but he lost his full flight capability and now calls our sanctuary home.

You can visit Leo at the sanctuary and even symbolically adopt him through our online gift shop!

12/29/2024

⚠️Mystery Bird ID Reveal⚠️

The answer is a Short-tailed Hawk! This Hawk has a light and dark color morph. This individual is a dark morph, which is more common in Florida. They have an isolated population in Florida of about 500 individuals while most of the population lives in Central and South America.

Our sanctuary provides a home for two non-releasable Short-tailed Hawks, Lightning and Bolt! You can visit them at the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary. 🦅

12/28/2024

Fishing line is a significant, yet often overlooked, threat to pelicans and other seabirds. We are currently in the midst of "pelican season" here at the hospital, and every year, many pelicans are found entangled in discarded fishing line. Last year, 35% of the pelicans brought into our care were entangled in line, not including other pouch tears or injuries that may have also been related to fishing gear. This issue is especially common near piers where people feed the birds, increasing the likelihood of entanglement. To help, anglers can recycle their used fishing line, raise awareness about the dangers, and encourage fishing piers to set up recycling stations.

If you find a pelican entangled in fishing line or a hook, never cut the line. It's important to carefully reel the bird in and contact a local wildlife rehabilitator. We are trained to safely remove hooks and assess for additional injuries, as birds could also have internal hooks or other wounds that may become infected if not treated properly. By taking these simple steps, we can make a big difference in protecting pelicans and other marine life. Together, we can reduce the impact of fishing line and ensure the safety of our wildlife.