Raptor rehabilitation in Florida: Admission reasons, care duration, and release rates during the last fifteen years

Abstract

Wildlife rehabilitators treat thousands of raptors yearly, providing an opportunity to better understand species’ biology, the changing environment, and the dangers raptors encounter in the wild. However, that data is siloed within individual facilities, making it challenging to understand the wider impact of rehabilitation and the dangers raptors face. Data were collected from 50 facilities across the state of Florida, United States of America, from 2009 to early 2023, representing 54,574 patients of 39 species. Patient intake at these facilities doubled between 2010 and 2020 over a relatively stable number of facilities (average = 31.5/year) with an average release rate of 36.6% (range 31.7 – 41.5%). Release rates varied significantly from 21% to 57% between species with over 100 recorded patients.

Keywords

• birds of prey
• wildlife
• avian
• mortality
• conservation
• red-shouldered hawk
• eastern screech owl