City Wildlife has received a lot of attention from the media since we opened our Rehabilitation Center in 2013. Take a look below to see some of the articles about us or by us.
NPR: As birds migrate south, there’s an invisible danger: glass
October 7, 2025
“It’s just – it boggles the mind to think that these little guys can fly over the Gulf of Mexico. Just how do they manage that? It’s amazing. But then we take them out with some glass.”
WTOP: DC Health urges residents to take precautions after several birds test positive for West Nile virus
August 20, 2025
“D.C. Health said a partner agency, City Wildlife, tested four American crows and the results came back positive.”
Washington Post: Birds kept dropping dead. A D.C. biologist cracked the case.
August 9, 2025
“A woman had come out of her Capitol Hill rowhouse one evening to weed-whack her yard when she found two dead birds.”
Washingtonian: Meet the Duck Whisperer of D.C.
May 12, 2025
“Rooftop gardens, office buildings, and backyards are attracting nesting water fowl, and April Linton is on the case.”
Smithsonian’s National Zoo: Remembering Basil, Our Virginia Opossum
May 6, 2025
“In 2023, Basil was found injured from a predator attack. He was brought to City Wildlife…As an animal ambassador, Basil reminded us all how vital it is to appreciate and protect local wildlife.”
Washington Post: Mother duck lays 8 eggs on downtown D.C. building’s rooftop terrace
April 17, 2025
“The ducks are taking advantage of habitat we’ve built,” Linton said. But one logistical factor that ducks don’t consider when setting up a nest on a rooftop, she said, is that they won’t be able to get their ducklings down, given that their little ones don’t develop their wings to fly until about 11 to 12 weeks after hatching.
Hill Rag: What Lies Beneath RFK? Environmental Concerns Challenge Site Development
April 11, 2025
“It’s an opportunity to create additional habitat and plant more trees,” said City Wildlife’s April Linton. She emphasized the importance of natural habitat for wildlife, adding the benefits extend to people.”
The Washington Post: A duck — and her ducklings — find an unlikely home in downtown D.C.
March 11, 2025
“About 4:30 p.m., Erica Knight, a volunteer with City Wildlife’s Duck Watch program, pulled up on a bicycle. Volunteers monitor mallard nests and try to protect ducklings as they invariably head for water after they hatch. She keeps an eye on downtown, Penn Quarter and Chinatown in the spring and summer, when mother mallard ducks lay eggs in parks and planters and on roofs across the city.”
The Washington Post: Rat poison is sickening and killing D.C. wildlife, study finds
March 10, 2025
“A wildlife rescue center in D.C. has found that an increasing number of birds and mammals across the city are consuming, falling ill and dying from rat poison.”
Hill Rag: The District Vet: Yes, Avian Influenza Can Be Passed to Pets
February 18, 2025
“Sarah Sirica, a veterinarian and Clinic Director for City Wildlife in Washington, DC, an organization which rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife, said approximately 10% of City Wildlife’s patients were from an attack by a cat. This includes birds and over 50 different species of animal. She continued, “There are many reasons to encourage everyone to keep their cats inside, and I’m afraid we now have one more to add to the list.”
Audubon Magazine: LEED’s Green Building Rules Are Becoming More Bird-Friendly—Do They Go Far Enough?
February 3, 2025
“The world’s top system for certifying environmentally conscious design is putting more emphasis on preventing bird-building collisions, but critics say it’s still too easy for builders to skip measures that could save avian lives.”
WUSA9: Taking Flight: Local volunteers work to save birds from window collisions
September 3, 2024
“As millions of migratory birds fly over the District, one organization is working to help mitigate window collision deaths.”
Science: Rat Poison’s Long Reach
July 2024
“Supertoxic rodenticides are building up inside unintended targets, including birds, mammals, and insects. Scientists want to understand the damage—and limit it.”
Washingtonian: These Volunteers Wake Up at Dawn to Collect DC’s Dead — and Injured — Birds
“Millions of migrating birds fly over DC each spring, but many don’t make it. That’s where these folks step in.”
Hill Rag: Lights Out!
April 15, 2024
“City Wildlife has been advocating for less intense lighting in DC for years. They led the effort to pass the the Migratory Local Wildlife Protection Act of 2022, requiring bird-safe glass and design on all new and majorly renovated buildings in DC. As a part of their advocacy for that bill, they’ve documented bird death due to collisions with glass windows and excessive lighting. “
WTOP: Teens get a chance to explore veterinary careers thanks to DC-based rescue group
February 2, 2024
“When addressing high school students, [City Wildlife Clinic Director] Sirica said she would stress that, “we work hard every day, and it’s not necessarily the kind of job where you can coast.”
The Washington Post: An owl got stuck in an iconic sculpture. After rehab, it’s free again.
October 29, 2023
“Within an hour of its rescue, the owl was delivered into the care of City Wildlife, an animal rescue center in D.C.”
CBS Evening News: How small changes to buildings could save millions of birds
August 6, 2023
“We’re part of this problem and we can be part of the solution.”
The Washington Post: A duck named Gertrude became beloved where he didn’t belong: the wild
July 12, 2023
“Gertrude made people notice nature but he also made people notice one another. He brought people together.”
WUSA9: Turtle spotted riding Blue Line Metro train
June 30, 2023
The Atlantic : What Do I Do With This Baby Squirrel
Dog Owners: Let’s Protect Other Forms of Wildlife!, thehillishome.com, August 2019
“Kingman and Heritage Islands are extremely important for wildlife in the District. It’s some of the very best habitat that we have left, and the wild animals cannot move elsewhere. There is no suitable place that still has room for more wildlife… If people knew how much damage an off-leash dog does to ground-nesting birds and wildlife in general, they would be eager to keep their dog on leash.”
Take a walk on the wild side at City Wildlife, DC Refined, August 2018
“When an animal gets in trouble, they often end up at City Wildlife, a animal care and veterinary facility that focuses on local wildlife. Although members of the public can’t come in and visit, except for special events, the staff has their hands full with animals they hope to rehabilitate and release back into the wild.”
How Valor (The Eaglet) Was Lost, Then Found in Northeast D.C., WAMU, July 2018
“’One of the things we have to do here is keep animals — especially ones that are very stressy — in the most defensible and quietest place possible,’ says executive director Paula Goldberg, opening the door to a back room where the fledgling is recuperating in a large kennel covered with towels. ‘We don’t want the bird to be frightened by sight of us, nor do we want it to become accustomed to the sight of us.’”
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Young bald eagle falls from nest, found on sidewalk in Northeast Washington, The Washington Post, July 2018
Ramps return to Capitol Reflecting Pool to help ducklings, WTOP, April 2018
“Lewis said the minor issues with the ramps have been worked out. Sides to the ramps were added to keep the ducklings from falling over, and more traction has been added to the surface to keep the ducklings from slipping.”
Does that baby bird on the ground need you help?, The Washington Post, April 2018
“For a baby bird, the kind of help it might need depends on its stage of life. A nestling might simply need to be placed back in its nest with help from an adult human. But if the baby bird is slightly older (a fledgling that has left the nest but is still under parental care), it may be best to leave it alone.”
In DC, It Is Easy Being Green, On Tap Magazine, March 2018
“City Wildlife has launched several important wildlife conservation programs in the city. Lights Out DC works to encourage businesses and residential buildings to reduce or turn off their lights at night to avoid attracting migratory birds, and the Duck Watch program helps keep DC’s many mallard duck moms and their babies safe during the nesting season.”
Bald eagle dies in DC from lead poisoning, WUSA 9, December 2017
“The adult bald eagle was discovered near a Maryland highway, disoriented and not able to walk. The team of wildlife rescuers at City Wildlife suspected lead poisoning.”
Poisoned Bald Eagle Highlights Lead Bullet Controversy, National Geographic, December 2017
“‘It’s not uncommon,’ she said for the center to treat lead-poisoned birds. But more often, they deal with pigeons that ingest lead at construction sites. Eagles, however, tend to ingest lead when they consume animals that have been shot with lead bullets.”
Why Does a City As Dense As D.C. Have So Much Wildlife?, WAMU 88.5, December 2017
“As more wild animals find their way into the city, the potential for conflict with humans rises. That’s where City Wildlife comes in. It’s a non-profit that rehabilitates injured wild animals in D.C.”
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Eagle poisoned with lead dies, The Washington Post, December 2017
“Raptors are susceptible to lead poisoning because they often eat dead animals that have been hunted with ammunition that contains lead. Goldberg said, for example, that if a bald eagle eats a deer that has been shot with lead ammunition instead of copper, the lead stays in the deer’s body and then is digested when an eagle eats the deer.”
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Bald eagle undergoing treatment for lead poisoning in DC dies, WTOP, December 2017
“The latest arrival is a bald eagle that was brought in from Southern Maryland on Tuesday afternoon. The big raptor was found on the ground, his feet splayed out at an odd angle. Even before she drew blood from the big bird to figure out what the problem was, City Wildlife clinic director and veterinarian Kristy Jacobus suspected she was looking at a case of lead poisoning.”
Flying the friendly skies: An owl takes flight, but not in the way you’d expect, The Washington Post, October 2017
“I’m sorry, there’s just something silly about taking an owl on an airplane. It’s like carrying a dolphin inside a submarine or taking a box full of moles on the subway.”
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Injured bald eagle, likely Liberty or Justice, gets treated a day before July 4, The Washington Post, July 2017
“The bird is the first bald eagle that City Wildlife has treated in the four years since it opened. It is also the largest avian — weighing in at nine pounds — that the center has handled. The next largest bird was a snowy owl that was treated in January after being hit by a bus.”
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For the Birds: Flock of D.C. volunteers proves ‘Lights Out’ in buildings saves lives of winged migrants, Renewal News, June 2017
“City Wildlife, a tiny but robust non-profit, has spearheaded an effort called Lights Out D.C. to reverse that trend by deploying citizen scientists to collect data, collaborating with managers of problem edifices and urging the city to include bird-safe construction in its green building code.”
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Duck ramp at U.S. Capitol causes stir online, WUSA9, May 2017
Congressman cries foul over Capitol Hill duck ramps, WJLA, May 2017
“City Wildlife president Anne Lewis said her organization received many calls about ducks in distress. She said the problem at the reflecting pool is that ducklings are not able to climb over the pool’s edge.”
Architect of the Capitol builds ramp so ducklings can easily enter, exit reflecting pool, WJLA, May 2017
“The Architect of the Capitol said they consulted with City Wildlife before holding a ‘design charrette to determine the best ramp design to allow ducks of all ages to enter and exit the pool easily over the existing limestone curb.'”.
Ducks Get Ramps For Easier Access To Capitol Reflecting Pool, DCist, May 2017
“Before, mallards had trouble scaling the “broad gently sloped limestone coping of the pool,” the Architect of the Capitol says in a blog post announcing the change. Indeed, curbs down by the Mall often challenge ducklings who struggle to hop over them.”
Duck Ramps Appear at U.S. Capitol, but Not Everyone Is Pleased, The New York Times, May 2017
“In a statement posted online on Monday, Erin Courtney, a spokeswoman for the architect’s office, said that the ramps were needed because getting into and out of the reflecting pool, just west of the Capitol, often posed a problem for the ducklings. Four families of mallards have ‘made the pool their home,’ she said.”
Effort launched in DC to keep birds from flying into buildings, WTOP, May 2017
“In D.C., volunteers with City Wildlife’s ‘Lights Out’ program are up with the birds, going out at 5:30 a.m. to walk designated routes and document the number of bird strikes in a predetermined area. The idea is to generate data and work with communities to come up with way to reduce the fatalities.”
Birds of a feather flock together on a downtown street corner, The Washington Post, April 2016
“The duck looked like every other mallard, but April knew she was special. In January, during a warm spell, this duck had laid eggs here. She stayed on the nest in that big snowstorm we had, incubating them in the face of the blizzard.”
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City Wildlife nurses baby squirrels and finds them new homes, The Washington Post, October 2015
“City Wildlife has more than 60 baby squirrels — from hairless infants to juveniles with bushy tails and big brown eyes. Some of the baby squirrels are orphans; others need medical care after suffering injuries from falls or bites by dogs or cats.”
National Geographic’s Ducks Are Having a Tough Winter, National Geographic, February 2015
“A few months after we devoted an entire issue to looking at how animals and ecosystems are responding to a changing planet, National Geographic has come face to face with this very issue, in our own backyard. Since at least 2004, a pair of mallard ducks (possibly the same ducks, possibly new ducks each year) has settled in our office courtyard during the winter. This year, the female duck hatched 11 ducklings and began parading them around our campus. Normally this would be a cause for over-the-top social media cuteness. But there was a problem … it was February 11.”
Glass Architecture is Killing Millions of Migratory Birds, Quartz, March 2015
“Starting this week, a dedicated gang armed with flashlights and Ziplock bags will be roaming the streets of Washington DC. Braving spring’s early morning chill, the 20-plus volunteers who signed up for Lights Out DC will comb a four-mile route for birds that crashed into windows and glass buildings overnight.”
Lights Out Effort Reduces Deadly Bird-Building Collisions, Voice of America, December 2014
“Illuminated buildings, especially ones with a lot of glass windows, are deadly for birds. Experts estimate that more than 100 million migrating birds die each year in North America when they become confused by artificial lights at night and fly into the glass… [A] growing movement to save birds from such fatal collisions has been making a difference in major U.S. cities.”
Victim of downtown D.C. egg thefts is a sitting duck, The Washington Post, June 2014
“She may be a mallard, but the mother-to-be who has built her nest on I Street NW can’t seem to duck a persistent egg thief. Someone has been robbing the cradle — and animal protection officials suspect that the thief is human, and may want to eat the developing eggs.”
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After a tumble from a tree, a baby squirrel becomes a starlet, The Washington Post, April 2014
“Unbeknownst to city dwellers, it happens all the time: Squirrels, those seemingly infallible high-wire walkers, fall out of trees. Thanks to one particularly adorable baby squirrel that took a nasty tumble last week, the fate of the falling squirrels has garnered some social media attention.”
Snowy owl kept in cold isolation for healing after run-in with Metrobus and SUV, The Washington Post, February 2014
“Five days after its near-death experience on the city’s mean streets, the District’s famed snowy owl is resting in celebrity fashion, isolated in a room at an animal clinic where the temperature is kept below freezing and the fridge is stocked with plump, tasty white mice.”
When D.C.’s squirrels, birds and other wild animals need help, City Wildlife is there, The Washington Post, October 2013
“Of all the animals I saw when I visited City Wildlife, the first wildlife rehabilitation center to open in the District, my favorite wasn’t the baby flying squirrel or the juvenile opossum or the starling that trilled away happily. It was a pigeon.”
City Wildlife, D.C.’s First Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center, Tends To Squirrels, Raptors, Humanity, Huffington Post, September 2013
“Indigenous wildlife in the nation’s capital goes well beyond Democrats and Republicans. In fact the District has ‘hundreds of species,’ says Anne Lewis, president of City Wildlife, the first rehabilitation center dedicated to Washington’s fauna.”
