變更

野鳥基金是由麗塔·麥克馬洪（Rita McMahon）於2001年創立，起因為她 於{{tsl|en|Interstate 684|684 於684 號州際公路}} 旁發現一隻負傷的[[加拿大雁]]，並曾試圖尋求[[獸醫]]協助治療，但當時無人接受此類[[野生動物]]。最終她於一家動物醫院聲稱該鳥為其寵物，但加拿大雁因治療時間已拖延過久而仍未存活下來。<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|date=2017-07-18|title=Outlook – The Shopkeeper Defusing IS Booby Traps – BBC Sounds|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p058bynt|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-05-20|website=www.bbc.co.uk|language=en-GB|archive-date=2021-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520040620/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p058bynt}}</ref>之後她對城市內沒有任何地方可照顧野生鳥類感到不安，因此她開始接受培訓並於[[上西城]]的公寓內開始收治野鳥，一次至多可容納60隻。<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Kahn|first=Eve M.|date=2012-11-20|title=A Place for Healing Broken Wings|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/a-place-to-mend-a-broken-wing/|dead-url=no|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702003933/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/a-place-to-mend-a-broken-wing/|archive-date=2019-07-02|access-date=2021-01-15|website=New York Times City Room|language=en-US}}</ref>野鳥基金於2005年註冊為[[非營利組織]]，成為紐約市首家具有執照的野生動物醫院<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Nuwer|first=Rachel|date=2012-06-01|title=A Wildlife Rescue Center for New York City|url=https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/a-wildlife-rescue-center-for-new-york-city/|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-05-20|website=New York Times Green Blog|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615051205/https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/a-wildlife-rescue-center-for-new-york-city/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sacks|first=Amy|date=2012-06-02|title=A new wing: Wild Bird Fund opens sanctuary on the Upper West Side|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-wing-wild-bird-fund-opens-sanctuary-upper-west-side-article-1.1088792|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-06-02|website=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215827/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-wing-wild-bird-fund-opens-sanctuary-upper-west-side-article-1.1088792}}</ref>，該機構於麥克馬洪的公寓內和[[曼哈頓]][[第九大道]]上的一家綜合動物醫院Animal General運作了若干年。<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Fernandez|first=Mike|last2=Schneider|first2=Katy|date=2016-06-08|title=Inside the Avian Clinic That Brings Birds Back From the Brink|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/06/inside-the-avian-clinic-wild-bird-fund.html|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-05-19|website=New York Magazine Intelligencer|language=en-us|archive-date=2021-05-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519160118/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/06/inside-the-avian-clinic-wild-bird-fund.html}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Vadukul|first=Alex|date=2012-02-04|title=Rescuing the Birds Many Hate (Published 2012)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/nyregion/rescuing-the-birds-many-love-to-hate.html|access-date=2021-01-15|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2021-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121230028/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/nyregion/rescuing-the-birds-many-love-to-hate.html|dead-url=no}}</ref>

2012年春天，野鳥基金於第九大道的Animal General對面開設自己的專用診所，但仍依靠附近的獸醫支援部分專業設備和人力。<ref name=":1" />一樓設有收治室、檢疫室、[[醫學成像]]室和[[雁形目|水禽]]池。<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Keim|first=Brandon|date=2014-08-06|title=A Day in the Life of NYC's Hospital for Wild Birds|language=en-US|work=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/08/nyc-wild-bird-fund/|access-date=2021-05-19|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=2020-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130085800/https://www.wired.com/2014/08/nyc-wild-bird-fund/|dead-url=no}}</ref>該機構為紐約市唯一的野生動物診所。截至2020年，其每年約收留7,000隻鳥類，一次可收治200多隻。<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite web|date=2018-01-24|title=Center on Upper West Side specializes in treating wild birds|url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/mornings-on-1/2018/01/24/center-on-upper-west-side-specializes-in-treating-wild-birds|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-05-20|website=NY1 News|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520041949/https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/mornings-on-1/2018/01/24/center-on-upper-west-side-specializes-in-treating-wild-birds}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-29|title=Birds and Glass – At the Wild Bird Fund {{!}} BirdNote|url=https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/birds-and-glass-wild-bird-fund|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-06-02|website=BirdNote|language=en|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214239/https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/birds-and-glass-wild-bird-fund}}</re

野鳥基金大多數的動物病患是由一般民眾、Humane Society of the United States美國人道主義協會和[[美國愛護動物協會]]等組織協助送達<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|last=Moore|first=Angela|date=2017-06-16|title=Birds find haven from urban injuries at New York City treatment center|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-birds-rehab-idUSKBN1972J8|access-date=2021-05-19|archive-date=2021-05-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519162130/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-birds-rehab-idUSKBN1972J8|dead-url=no}}</ref>，機構收治各種鳥類和其他小型野生動物，其中最常見的 為{{tsl|en|Feral 為Feral pigeon| 野鴿}} （約有1／6的病患為雛鴿）。<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Williams|first=Keith|date=2018-05-23|title=The Elusive City Squab|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/nyregion/the-elusive-baby-pigeon.html|access-date=2021-05-20|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2021-06-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620211452/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/nyregion/the-elusive-baby-pigeon.html|dead-url=no}}</ref>

由於紐約市位處大西洋遷徙路線上，衝撞窗戶成為鳥類受傷的主要原因，鳥類常被窗戶後的燈光和其反射出的天空、樹木所誤導而大量與玻璃相撞，特別是在春秋兩季的[[鳥類遷徙|遷徙]]途中。<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Daly|first=Natasha|date=2020-10-08|title=Birds are crashing into NYC buildings. Record numbers are being rescued.|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/birds-are-crashing-into-nyc-buildings-and-records-numbers-are-being-rescued|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-05-20|website=[[National Geographic]]|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520021732/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/birds-are-crashing-into-nyc-buildings-and-records-numbers-are-being-rescued}}</ref> 紐約[[奧杜邦學會]]估計，該市每年約有9－23萬隻鳥類死於窗殺<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tremper|first=Aaron|date=2021-03-15|title=Reports of bird deaths soar as Queens residents take in nature from home|url=https://queenseagle.com/all/reports-of-bird-deaths-spike-as-queens-residents-take-in-nature-from-home|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-05-20|website=Queens Daily Eagle|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520021737/https://queenseagle.com/all/reports-of-bird-deaths-spike-as-queens-residents-take-in-nature-from-home}}</ref>，大多數的撞擊是由遷徙中的鳥類所造成。<ref name=":5" />其他的傷亡原因則包括接觸到Lead paint含鉛油漆、雛鳥在羽化前提早離巢<ref name=":6" />、被自行車或汽車輾壓<ref name=":6" />、貓和犬攻擊<ref name=":7" />、[[鬥雞]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kraft|first=Amy|date=2016-02-12|title=Rooster rehab helps birds rescued from cockfighting|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rooster-rehab-helps-birds-rescued-from-cockfighting/|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-05-20|website=[[CBS News]]|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520031753/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rooster-rehab-helps-birds-rescued-from-cockfighting/}}</ref>和人為槍殺等。<ref>{{Cite web|last=Saha|first=Purbita|date=2016-02-05|title=Watch a Snowy Owl Recoup From Surgery at an NYC Wildlife Rehab Center|url=https://www.audubon.org/news/watch-snowy-owl-recoup-surgery-nyc-wildlife-rehab-center|dead-url=no|access-date=2021-05-20|website=[[奧杜邦學會|Audubon Society]]|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520031759/https://www.audubon.org/news/watch-snowy-owl-recoup-surgery-nyc-wildlife-rehab-center}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hanson|first=Hilary|date=2016-02-11|title=A Gunshot Wound Couldn't Break This Snowy Owl's Spirit|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/snowy-owl-recovery-wild-bird-fund_n_56bcbb3fe4b08ffac1242714|access-date=2021-05-20|website=HuffPost|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520031754/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/snowy-owl-recovery-wild-bird-fund_n_56bcbb3fe4b08ffac1242714|dead-url=no}}</ref>