World Bird Sanctuary

Released! We've already taken in 188 injured/orphaned raptors this year! Our goal is to return as many of these as possible back to the wild. 43 of 2026's patients have already completed their rehabilitation and been released back to the wild! Show here are just some of them.

Midas, the Golden Eagle, has two different looking eyes. He was brought to a rehabilitation facility with a large thorn stuck in his left eye, making him blind in that eye. You can meet Midas at our World Eagle Day event on Saturday, May 2nd from 10am to 4pm.

Renesting Time! We've already reunited 11 of this year's babies with their families! This week we placed our first surrogate nest, after the second Barred Owl baby fell out of the small cavity just one day after we renested the first. Thank you Trim Time Tree Service for the help

And the winning name for our new foster mom is...Petra! Thank you to everyone who donated! You raised $1,956 for our Bald Eagle fostering aviary! We are still $12,376 away from the funds needed to begin building, but your generosity brings this dream a little closer to a reality!

Bald Eagles admissions to our hospital has tripled in the last 10 years. We need more large aviaries in order to care for all of them. You can help us build a new Bald Eagle fostering aviary by donating towards your favorite name for our new foster eagle secure.givelively.org/donate/world-b…

There is still time to cast your vote to name this beautiful lady! Petra is currently in the lead but since the wining name will be chosen based on which has the most donated towards it, Hera, Amelia, or Juniper can still steal the win. To vote, go to secure.givelively.org/donate/world-b…

Wedge-tailed Eagles have the longest tail of any eagle species at 18 inches! You can learn more about Duncan and other eagles at our World Eagle Day event on Saturday, May 2nd from 10am to 4pm.

Sayyida heard that it was recently Easter and wants to know why we have an Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs when bunnies don't even lay eggs? An Easter Owl would clearly be a better fit. Sayyida is practicing her hops to audition for the role and considers herself an eggs-pert.

@SherryR15280 @MDC_online The name suggestion period closed last week, so these are the final 4 choices and people can donate towards their favorite to win. We already had a Bald Eagle named Freedom, so it didn't make the final cut.

@WBSSTL @MDC_online How about FREEDOM? could br male or female

Help us name Bald Eagle 23-620! 500+ names were suggested, but there can be only one winner. We've narrowed it down to 4. It's up to you to pick the final one between Petra, Juniper, Hera, & Amelia To vote, donate towards your favorite name at: secure.givelively.org/donate/world-b…

@SherryR15280 @MDC_online Female

@WBSSTL @MDC_online Male or female?

@eeyoresmother All 3 of these birds have permanent wing injuries that completely prevent flight. If they were flighted, they would be able to manage a take off in this space, but it would be awkward. We would want a larger space if housing flighted Pelicans to allow space to fly comfortably

@WBSSTL How much space do these three pelicans have to their disposal? It looks rather small for a safe take-off/landing.

Scoop the pelican recently lost his mate to age related issues. While a mirror helped, he has been lonely. We were able to find two new buddies for Scoop! He immediately perked up upon meeting his new friends last week, and all three are just about always hanging out together.

@NancyLionStorm That is called a Caruncle. It grows during the breeding season as part of the courtship portion of mating. It dries out and eventually sheds before a new one grows the following breeding season.

@WBSSTL What is stuck to that one bird’s beak? A cancer? A tumor?

@stickers_thecat They will also develop a social hierarchy

@WBSSTL Do they have a pecking order like chickens do, or do they all just hang out as friends?

@Mary_Konas That is called a Caruncle. It grows during the breeding season as part of the courtship portion of mating. It dries out and eventually sheds before a new one grows the following breeding season.

@WBSSTL what does that one have on its beak?

@mfreeman451 All 3 of these birds have permanent injuries that would prevent them from surviving in the wild. We release the birds that are able to recover from their injuries back to the wild but also provide a comfortable home for those who are unable to return.

@WBSSTL pretty sure they would all be happier if you just released them into the wild 🤡 🌍

@CartoonessToo The beak biting is a normal form of Pelican social interactions; done as part of play, curiosity, and to help establish a social hierarchy. While it can be done aggressively, it is not so in this video. Pelicans are flock birds, hence the addition of 2 new friends for Scoop

@WBSSTL Your text doesn't match the video. Are pelicans flock birds, anyway? That's pretty close quarters. And if he is the one with the odd beak, he's making threatening movements towards both of the others. Seems unfriendly.

@AdamGom87371303 In Scoop's case, they had to be fellow Pelicans. He shared his aviary with a Black Crowned Night Heron, but this did not help alleviate his loneliness. Pelicans are highly social birds that live in large flocks with others of their species.

@WBSSTL Why did they have to be pelicans? Wouldn't any bird do? They're all birds after all.

NEW LIVESTREAM CAMERAS!!!! Join us on our 24/7 Twitch stream to enjoy simultaneous camera views of our Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, & Red-shouldered Hawk foster parents. Get to know each of their personalities and watch them raise this year's foster babies(once babies arrive)