140 baby herons rescued from California city streets after falling from trees
Teams of rescuers patrol streets in a California city on the lookout for black-crowned night herons fledglings. (Yeah, you read that right.)
The official bird of Oakland sometimes need help when babies fall from trees throughout the city.
The Heron Rescue Team, made up of Oakland Zoo staff and volunteers, search downtown twice daily to rescue any injured baby birds, according to a Sept. 27 news release from the Oakland Zoo.
The team, which is a collaboration with the Oakland Zoo, International Bird Rescue and Golden Gate Audubon Society, has “rescued, rehabilitated and released” 140 fledglings this nesting season, according to the release.
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The city is home to black-crowned night herons, which were named the city’s official bird in 2019, and is the “largest black-crowned night-heron rookery (communal nesting ground for birds)” in the Bay Area, according to the release.
As the city’s bird, “they merit some special attention to ensure that they can continue to thrive in the city,” Glenn Phillips, executive director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society, said in the release.
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Each year, “nesting colonies of black-crowned night herons” return to the city, according to the release.
As the fledglings, which are born in the trees “on busy Oakland streets,” begin to learn to fly, they sometimes “fall from their nests onto the concrete sidewalks or streets,” the release said. This can result in the death or injury for the fallen fledglings.
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After being rescued, the baby birds are brought to the zoo for “intermediary medical evaluation and treatment,” the release said, before being transported to the International Bird Rescue for recovery.
“The birds that have recovered and are old enough to survive and fly are steadily being released into the wild into safe and local habitats, such as the Oakland Bay shoreline,” according to the release.
With the dozens of birds rescued this year, Nik Dehejia, CEO of Oakland Zoo, said the team hopes to “continue this important work and see our city’s official bird thrive in the years to come.”
The black-crowned night heron, “the most widespread heron in the world,” typically lives in “fresh, salt and brackish wetlands,” according to Cornell University. The bird is most active at night or dusk.
This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 3:35 PM with the headline "140 baby herons rescued from California city streets after falling from trees."
