Found an Injured Bird?
Found an Injured Raptor?
Teton Raptor Center cares for injured, ill and orphaned birds of prey 365 days per year.
Our Raptor Hotline accepts calls from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily.
We check our voicemails often. Please leave us a message if you’re unable to reach us and we’ll return your call as soon as possible.
Call or text us at 307-203-2551
Teton Raptor Center is permitted and has facilities to rehabilitate raptors and corvids. For inquiries or concerns about other wildlife please contact:
Wyoming Game and Fish Department: 307-777-4600
For Idaho, contact Idaho Department of Fish and Game: 208-334-3700
If you find an injured raptor, take the following steps to ensure your safety and the safety of the bird:
Take a photo.
Note the location.
Call for help: 307-203-2551 ext. 1
Teton Raptor Center’s Raptor Hotline accepts calls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 365 days a year.
Do not offer any food or water to an injured raptor.
Raptors have very specific dietary needs and even the best meat available may be inappropriate. Often injured raptors are suffering from dehydration and/or emaciation, so food or water may kill it.
Do not touch the bird unless instructed to do so by a professional.
The less contact it has with people, the more likely it will be to survive. Stress is deadly for these birds.
Remember, even a seriously injured or seemingly incapacitated raptor can be potentially dangerous.
Even if you are trying to help the bird, it will be frightened and may perceive you as a threat. Raptors can be quite unpredictable. Be particularly wary of the beak and talons.
Found an active nest in Wyoming or eastern Idaho?
We’d love to know about it. Email us at [email protected]. If you can share photos, that is helpful. These nests could be used as foster nests for orphaned or displaced birds, giving them their best chance at survival.
Injured, or Just a Chick?
A raptor on the ground may not be injured or in need of help – it may just be a chick.
It is normal for chicks of most raptor species to leave the nest before they can fly. Some raptors also nest on the ground or even under it.
Unless the chick shows signs of injury, its greatest chance of success in the wild depends on leaving it where it is to develop normally under the care of its parents.
The parents find and feed these grounded fledglings for several days as they develop their flight abilities. Many species of raptors have a prolonged adolescent period where, even though the young are old enough to fly, they are still supported by their parents. This is the time period that the young gain valuable hunting experience because they are still fed by the parents when they are unsuccessful hunting on their own.
Should you call Teton Raptor Center?
With very few exceptions, leaving a fledgling raptor alone is the best option for increasing its chances of survival. It can be difficult to distinguish between a young raptor that is too young to fly and one that is injured. Fledglings can look like adults except that they might have a ragged or fluffy appearance. They are full-sized at this stage but have not grown in all their adult feathers. If you see blood or an open wound, the bird needs help. Please call our Injured Raptor Hotline: 307-203-2551, press 1.
Did you find a nestling?
A nestling – a chick that is featherless or covered only in down, with its eyes closed – is not normally found on the ground (with the exception of ground-nesting raptors). If you know where the nest is and it is safely accessible, you can attempt to return the chick to the nest. If the nest is not accessible, please call our Injured Raptor Hotline (307-203-2551, press 1) for assistance.
Injured Raptor FAQs
Q: What happens after you receive an injured raptor?
A: After receiving an injured raptor we start a treatment plan based on its injury or illness and consult with our veterinary advisor. After thorough treatment and rehabilitation, we always hope to return our patients to the wild! See our current patients and most recent releases.
Q: How do birds arrive at Teton Raptor Center?
A: We receive calls on our Injured Raptor Hotline and either a staff member or volunteer will either go rescue the bird or meet an individual who has the injured raptor. We also work with Wyoming Game and Fish and Idaho Fish and Game to transport injured raptors to our center. Sometimes, volunteers bring us birds from hundreds of miles away through the Raptor Rescue Network.
Q: Can I help?
A: Yes you can! If you are interested in helping TRC rescue and transport injured birds of prey consider donating or volunteering.