Florida Projects

Raptor Trauma Clinic at Center for Birds of Prey

Our Goals
Maintain raptor health and populations in Florida.
What We’re Doing
The Center for Birds of Prey's in-house Raptor Trauma Clinic treats more than 700 sick, injured, or orphaned raptors each year.
A person holds an owl with a covered head while a second person injects it with fluid under the skin.

Hundreds of patients arrive at our doors each year thanks to concerned community members, local animal control, wildlife officers, and other rehabilitators. For the safety of the birds in our care, the Center’s Raptor Trauma Clinic is not open to the public. The Center provides a viewing window, videos and surveillance cameras to get a behind-the-scenes look at the raptors in our care. 

From Rescue to Release

Once a patient arrives at the Raptor Trauma Clinic, staff perform an exam and determine appropriate medical care, nutritional support, and husbandry. Injuries vary and are primarily due to habitat loss and human-wildlife interaction, such as vehicle strikes, nest destruction, electrocutions, poison, and gunshots. The Center’s patient load is seasonal, with the spring being our busiest time for bird care. Baby bird season (roughly February through June) is a frenzied period with many young birds being temporarily displaced from their families and nests.

The Raptor Trauma Clinic includes a large examination and treatment area, laboratory, radiology room, intensive care unit, and separate recovery rooms based on species and size of the raptors. Similar to a veterinary hospital, the Raptor Trauma Clinic has specialized equipment and procedures for treating these unique species. Our goal is to reduce stress on birds and provide a calm environment for recovery. 

Once a patient is responding well to medical treatment, they are moved to the Center’s rehabilitation area to continue recovery. Our rehabilitation area includes 17 various sized outdoor enclosures (mews) for patients to regain strength and stamina and prepare for release back into the wild. 

In most cases, we release rehabilitated raptors in the same area where they were found, but sometimes we need to find other release locations, particularly if the bird was injured in a territory fight or if it was found somewhere unsafe. The Center has released thousands of raptors back into the wild, including more than 700 rehabilitated Bald Eagles since 1979.

Partnering with Medical Miracle Workers
Two people examine a young Bald Eagle in a clinic.

The Center has worked with Robert Hess, DVM, owner of Winter Park Veterinary Hospital, and his team since 1982. Working alongside this team, Audubon performs innovative treatments for raptors and is well known for our specialized care for Bald Eagles. 

Daniel Priehs, DVM, Heidi Denis, DVM, and Melanie Church DVM, of Animal Eye Associates, generously donate their services to the Center.

Support the Raptor Trauma Clinic
You can help us treat more than 700 sick, injured, and orphaned raptors each year by purchasing items from our Amazon Registry.
Our Registry
Stories from the Raptor Trauma Clinic
Raptor Care Assistant Dives into Data
A man sits at a computer, looking at a line graph on the screen with his hand on the computer's mouse.
Raptor Care Assistant Dives into Data

Cameron Couvillon noticed a correlation between bird blood test results and care outcomes. He taught himself to use a computer programming language to uncover the data and prove his theory.

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