City Wildlife

Bruised and struggling to breathe after a window strike, this Cedar Waxwing was lucky to be found.

The blunt force trauma of a window strike can do serious damage to birds' fragile bodies. Fractures, corneal ulcers, lung damage, brain trauma, spinal trauma, and ruptured air sacs are all common injuries. This waxwing was, in some way, lucky to only have lung and head trauma along with a nasty keel bruise.

Oxygen, fluids, and an anti-inflammatory medication healed his physical injuries. Since Cedar Waxwings are incredibly social birds, he also got a mirror, and at one point another window strike Cedar Waxwing, for his mental wellbeing.

After four days in care, he was ready for release! We can only hope that he stays away from windows, and encourage people to take action. Want to help prevent window strike casualties that kill an estimated one BILLION birds per year in the US?
👉 Check out stopbirdcollisions.org

Our new outdoor enclosures have hugely improved quality of pre-release conditioning for our patients. But with summer's high temps and humidity, we need some gear to keep these critters cool. ☀️

The materials will cost $860. Just 172 donations of $5 could take us there today Help them beat the heat! 🐿️🦆🐦‍⬛🐢🦉

Your $5 today can positively impact recovering wildlife for years to come.

Scan the QR code/Venmo @ CityWildlife, or visit citywildlife.org/donate. 🙏

Can't give right now? You can still support our fundraiser by sharing this post! If you're seeing us for the first time, following along supports our work! 💚

Baby bird season is in full swing! 🪺 With over 120 patients in care, the majority of which are hungry baby birds, our hands are full!

Last year we cared for over 600 juvenile birds, and we are on track to exceed that number in 2026! 🤯

If you find a baby bird, please follow the flow chart on the last slide AND contact a wildlife rehabilitator. The flowchart is a good starting point, but many species and situations have special considerations. Contacting a rehabber helps you make the best decision for that animal in your unique situation. In DC, call City Wildlife at 202-882-1000 (9am-5pm). Outside of DC, use AHNow.org. 📲

Can you identify the 8 species featured in this post?

Happy World Turtle Day 🐢🌎 Here are a few of our recent turtle patients! Featured are Snapping Turtles, an Eastern Box Turtle, a Common Musk Turtle, and a Northern Red-bellied Cooter.

Founded by the American Tortoise Rescue, World Turtle Day celebrates 220 million years of survival— and works to protect the next 50. Over half of the world’s known modern-day tortoise and freshwater turtle species, totaling 201 out of 364, are threatened with extinction in the next 50 years. Habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal trafficking for the pet and food trades, and climate change are their biggest threats. The turtles that come to our clinic are overwhelmingly admitted for vehicle collisions, followed by lawnmower injuries and illegal poaching to be "pets."

Washington DC is home to ten turtle species: Eastern Box Turtles, Snapping Turtles, Wood Turtles, Common Musk Turtles, Red-bellied Cooters, Spotted Turtles, Painted Turtles, Diamondback Terrapins, Eastern Mud Turtles, and Bog Turtles.

Want to help our shelled neighbors?
🚗 Slow down and stay alert while driving, especially on rainy, warm days when turtles are most active.
🍂 Leave the leaves where possible. Leaf litter is critical overwintering and foraging habitat for species like the Eastern Box Turtle.
💧Protect water quality by avoiding pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers that may run off into waterways. Support watershed conservation groups like and , too.
👀 Found a turtle in the road? Help them cross in the direction they were headed. Never relocate a turtle.
🙏 Respect their wildness. Never take a turtle from the wild and give them distance when you see them.
🌱 If you must mow, look before you mow and raise the blade 4-6" to protect small animals hidden in the grass.
🐢 Want a pet turtle? ADOPT RESPONSIBLY! Turtles are extremely long-term commitments with complex needs, as a result, they are frequently abandoned and relinquished. Organizations like have dozens of adoptable turtles.

Comment your favorite turtle species or fact!👇

The biggest successes in wildlife rehabilitation don't happen in the clinic...

Spring through fall, rehabilitators are inundated with calls and emails about infant wildlife. Rehabilitators use species-specific knowledge on life history, behavior, and signs of ill-health to navigate reports of infants who may need rescue. But truthfully? Many don't need much from us!

Infant wildlife have the best chance for long-term success with their mother. Even as professionals, we can't measure up to the care and teachings of a wild parent. Luckily, we can often reunite healthy infant wildlife with their families.

Two weeks ago, a kind passerby noticed six infant Eastern Cottontails exposed in freshly-cut grass outside of a DC business.

The kits were brought to our center the next morning. Examination revealed no injuries, just healthy babies. With the finder's help, we were able to get permission from the business to re-nest, protect, and monitor the babies. It was a rather urban site, but these are city rabbits!

After confirming mom's return within 24 hours, we watched as the kits grew up over the following weeks. Before we knew it, they were trading the comfortable nest for nearby shrubs, and mom's milk for greens.

These are the biggest wins, where human intervention is minimized and nature's resilience is supported. If you find wildlife that you think may need help, always contact a wildlife rehabilitator for guidance on the best course of action for the animal.

P.S. If you mow grass, please look before you mow and raise the blades to 4-6"! Cottontails, Eastern Box Turtles, and many other small wildlife species are routinely injured by low blades. Where you can, ditch the mowing and replace non-native turf grass with native plants to help our wild neighbors live safely. They're DC natives, too! ❤️🤍

Today is Endangered Species Day. The District of Columbia has one very special endangered resident, Hay's Spring Amphipod. 🦐

This tiny crustacean is endemic to eight small underground seepage springs along Rock Creek. It is found nowhere else in the whole world! This tiny species is heavily dependent on water quality for survival. Stormwater and runoff management is critical to their future.

Many other endangered species have been recorded in DC, some passing through, some extirpated (locally extinct), and some still hanging on. These species include the Atlantic Sturgeon, Bachman's Sparrow, Black Rail, Golden-winged Warbler, Northern Long-eared Bat, Red-headed Woodpecker, Spotted Turtles, and more.

The Endangered Species Act prohibits enacting harm to an endangered species, including significant habitat modification or degradation. Yet, in recent times, the ESA has faced multiple attempts to weaken it. Most notably, a bill that redefines harm to exclude habitats. Let's be clear, species cannot survive without healthy habitats. Want to help defend the ESA? Check out ways to take action with the Endangered Species Coalition at
https://www.endangered.org/take-action/ 👈

Have you ever seen the fledgling Brown Thrasher?

This little bird was brought to our center after sustaining a puncture wound to his/her little leg. It is hard to say whether this was an injury sustained from falling from the nest or if a predator had gotten to the bird. 🤕

Regardless, this young bird was in need of some help. We cleaned up the little bird’s wound and began the rehabilitation process, ensuring this bird got all the nutrition and care that they needed to grow big and strong. While this little bird needed some respiratory support when they first came in, they are now breathing easily on their own. 😮‍💨 This bird will still need more time before they are ready for release but we hope they continue to progressing 😁

🐢 Remember those 22 hatchling Common Snapping Turtles we overwintered? Their mother was hit by a car and succumbed to her injuries, but she lives on in this new generation of tiny hunters! After 7 months in our care, they were finally released this April to help maintain the local ecosystems of Rock Creek Park. These snappers are small but mighty; despite their teeny size now, as adults they can weigh in between 10-30+ lbs and live 30-50 years!

🏞️ These predators will play a vital role in their environments by maintaining populations of fish, amphibians, and invertebrates that they prey on. Their consumption of decaying matter and lingering pathogens also keeps waterways clean.

💚 If you value the work we do at City Wildlife, such as rehabilitating reptiles like these, please visit our Linktree and submit a comment urging the DC Council to restore our grant. This funding helps us keep our doors open 365 days a year for wildlife in need, and to maintain a high standard of care for our patients.