The Atlas Obscura Podcast · Friday, July 17, 2026
The Wild Bird Fund, started by Rita McMahon in the 1990s after she couldn't find help for an injured goose, now operates from a storefront on Manhattan's Columbus Avenue. It provides care for hundreds of injured birds daily, including pigeons, waterfowl, and species affected by migration and urban hazards.
“My name is Bodaleir, and this is Atlas Obscura. A celebration of the world's strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Today, we go to New York City, to the Wild Bird Fund, and see how an organization that started in a cramped New York apartment is now helping thousands of injured birds feel like their old selves.”
“Rita tried to care for the goose herself, but it just didn't work out. The goose didn't survive. But Rita was so moved by that experience that she went and got her wildlife rehabilitation license. Then, she turned her apartment into a place to heal and rehab injured birds. She'd point had 60 animals in her apartment.”
“Almost 30 years later, the Wild Bird Fund has drastically upgraded its facilities. It's now operating out of a double storefront on Columbus Avenue in Manhattan. And they've got all types of rooms especially made for their patients.”