Skip to content
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Tiktok
  • Found a Bird?
  • Contact
  • Newsroom
  • Success Stories
  • Report a Spill
  • Volunteer Login
International Bird Rescue
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Our Wildlife Centers
    • Remember
  • Our Work
    • Conservation & Education
    • Oil Spill Response and Preparedness
    • Why Rehabilitate Oiled Birds? 
    • Research and Innovation
    • FAQs
    • Newsletters & Reports
  • Get Involved
    • Visit Our Store
    • Bird Adoptions, Seabird Circle and More
    • Workplace Giving
    • Planned Giving
    • Corporate and Community Partners
    • Volunteering & Internships
    • Employment
  • BirdCams
  • Blog
  • Donate
Home | About

Saving birds around the world since 1971

Photo of an oiled Western Grebe being washed in a tub of water and Dawn dishwashing liquid
Washing an oiled Western Grebe after being oiled in natural seep off Southern California coast. Photo: International Bird Rescue

MISSION

To inspire people to act toward balance with the natural world by rescuing waterbirds in crisis.

VISION

We dream of a world in which every person, every day, takes action to protect the natural home of wildlife and ourselves.

ORGANIZATION STORY

In 1971 after 800,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the San Francisco Bay, concerned individuals led by a registered nurse named Alice Berkner jumped into action, bringing International Bird Rescue to life. We have always had to pave a road where there is none. Staff and volunteers work with tenacity alongside clients, partners, and the public to find solutions. Today, we research best practices at our wildlife crisis response hospitals in California and Alaska and share them worldwide. Video: How It All Began

Bird Rescue is a proud founding partner in the State of California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN), which is hosted at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California at Davis, as well as the Global Oiled Wildlife Response System (GOWRS), a consortium of leading experts trying to solve the challenges of oiled wildlife outside of currently covered geographies.

BY THE NUMBERS

Wildlife treated annually: 4,500 average
Volunteers Hours each year: 31,000
Oil spill response: 230+ spills across six continents

History

International Bird Rescue: Merging science and compassion.

Our Team

The International Bird Rescue staff and response team bring a multitude of skills, experience and background to the organization.

Board of Directors

The International Bird Rescue staff and response team bring a multitude of skills, experience and background to the organization.

Our Wildlife Centers

International Bird Rescue maintains wildlife care centers in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and a spill response center in Alaska.

Remember

We remember people who are now gone, but not forgotten for their positive contributions at International Bird Rescue.

  • About
    • Who We Are
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Our Wildlife Centers
    • Remember

About

  • Who We Are
  • History
  • Our Team
  • Our Bird Rescue Centers

Our Work

  • Oil Spill Response
  • FAQs
  • Bird Rehabilitation
  • Research and Innovation

Contact

  • Contact
  • Found a Bird?
  • Reporting a Banded Bird
  • Report a Spill

Get Involved

  • Donate
  • Become a Member
  • Bird Adoptions
  • Volunteering/Internships

Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Tiktok
© 2011-2023 International Bird Rescue. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Site Map
International Bird Rescue is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
  • Home
  • Donate
  • Found a Bird?
    • Helping a Debilitated Bird
    • Reporting a Banded Bird
  • Report a Spill
  • Blog
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • History
      • Founder’s Story
      • Timeline
    • Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Our Wildlife Centers
      • Alaska Wildlife Response Center
    • Remember
  • BirdCams
  • Our Work
    • Aquatic Bird Rehabilitation
      • Why Rehabilitate Oiled Birds? 
      • Our Process for Helping Oiled Birds
    • Oil Spill Response and Preparedness
      • Services Offered
      • Become a Retainer Holder
      • History of Response
    • Research and Innovation
      • Published Scientific Papers
      • Birds in Focus
      • How Oil Affects Birds
      • How Plastics Affect Birds
      • FAQs
      • Banding Program
  • Conservation & Education
    • Education Program
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Bird Adoptions, Seabird Circle and More
      • Adopt a Bird
    • Giving Circles, Pelican Partner
    • Donor Circles
    • Workplace Giving
    • Planned Giving
    • Corporate and Community Partners
      • Partnership Opportunities
    • Volunteering & Internships
      • Volunteer Orientations
      • Rehabilitation Internship Program
      • Veterinary Internship
    • Employment
    • Newsroom
      • Media Contact
      • Media Resources
      • Photo Library
  • Contact
  • Success Stories
    • Pelicans in Peril
    • Saving 20,000 Penguins
    • Oiled Ducks and Geese Saved
    • Galapagos Islands
    • Munch: The Return of a Unique Bird 
    • Albatross Mania
  • Volunteer Login
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Videos
  • Instagram
  • TikTok