OUR MISSIon
Iowa Bird Rehabilitation’s purpose is to recover, rehabilitate and release wild birds in Iowa.
Our mission is two-fold:
Iowa Bird Rehabilitation (IBR) is a wildlife rehabilitation center located in Iowa where we provide care for songbirds, waterfowl, gamebirds, shorebirds, and small raptors. IBR was founded in 2012 and was formally established as a non-profit in 2018. Currently, there is no other organization in central Iowa that provides the same unique benefits we offer to both the community and nature. We have taken in over 14,300 birds to date, with an average yearly increase of 25%, admitting over 3100 birds in 2024 alone.
IBR relies on volunteer help with rescue, transport, care, resource management, media, community outreach and education. We are exceptionally positioned to serve the Des Moines metro area, and beyond, in providing education, enrichment, and volunteer opportunities to people of all ages who have an interest in local avian conservation. We also provide valuable assistance, education, and advice to a growing number of people in our community who value Iowa’s wildlife.
Iowa Bird Rehabilitation is a nonprofit, volunteer based organization whose goal is to recover, rehabilitate and release orphaned and injured wild birds in the state of Iowa. We are licensed through the Iowa DNR and have a federal permit through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Our mission is two-fold:
- To address the immediate needs of sick, injured, or orphaned wild birds with the goal to return them to the wild
- The long-term goal to help educate and bring awareness to a global issue, birds are disappearing at an alarming rate and the impact on humankind and our environment.
Iowa Bird Rehabilitation (IBR) is a wildlife rehabilitation center located in Iowa where we provide care for songbirds, waterfowl, gamebirds, shorebirds, and small raptors. IBR was founded in 2012 and was formally established as a non-profit in 2018. Currently, there is no other organization in central Iowa that provides the same unique benefits we offer to both the community and nature. We have taken in over 14,300 birds to date, with an average yearly increase of 25%, admitting over 3100 birds in 2024 alone.
IBR relies on volunteer help with rescue, transport, care, resource management, media, community outreach and education. We are exceptionally positioned to serve the Des Moines metro area, and beyond, in providing education, enrichment, and volunteer opportunities to people of all ages who have an interest in local avian conservation. We also provide valuable assistance, education, and advice to a growing number of people in our community who value Iowa’s wildlife.
Iowa Bird Rehabilitation is a nonprofit, volunteer based organization whose goal is to recover, rehabilitate and release orphaned and injured wild birds in the state of Iowa. We are licensed through the Iowa DNR and have a federal permit through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
HOW IBR STARTED
A baby crow named Clover is what started it all.
In 1999 while working on her doctorate at UC Davis in Northern California, Jenni Boonjakuakul, our founder and Executive Director, found a baby crow. He was scared and hiding under a car, his parents crying from above and several cats circling below. She placed the young bird in a carrier and took him home. From that day forward, Jenni’s love of birds was born, and she never looked back.
After moving to Iowa in 2007, Jenni quickly found there were very few rehabbers in the state that had much experience with wild birds. In 2012 she obtained her own Iowa state wildlife rehabilitation permit and started to care for birds out of her home. That first year she took in 170 birds, and by 2017 that number had grown to 773. Jenni realized she could no longer do this alone, and needed more space than the one room in her basement could provide.
Something needed to change, so in 2018 Jenni established IBR as a non-profit. In 2019, raised money for and built a free-standing dedicated bird building in her backyard. This allowed her to move the birds out of her basement and begin to bring in more volunteers. In 2021 she left her full-time job to commit herself 100% to running, growing, and continuing to expand IBR so they could provide the care needed to the now over 2,000 birds a year depending on them for help.
In 1999 while working on her doctorate at UC Davis in Northern California, Jenni Boonjakuakul, our founder and Executive Director, found a baby crow. He was scared and hiding under a car, his parents crying from above and several cats circling below. She placed the young bird in a carrier and took him home. From that day forward, Jenni’s love of birds was born, and she never looked back.
After moving to Iowa in 2007, Jenni quickly found there were very few rehabbers in the state that had much experience with wild birds. In 2012 she obtained her own Iowa state wildlife rehabilitation permit and started to care for birds out of her home. That first year she took in 170 birds, and by 2017 that number had grown to 773. Jenni realized she could no longer do this alone, and needed more space than the one room in her basement could provide.
Something needed to change, so in 2018 Jenni established IBR as a non-profit. In 2019, raised money for and built a free-standing dedicated bird building in her backyard. This allowed her to move the birds out of her basement and begin to bring in more volunteers. In 2021 she left her full-time job to commit herself 100% to running, growing, and continuing to expand IBR so they could provide the care needed to the now over 2,000 birds a year depending on them for help.
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“We are now at capacity, we are continuing to take in more birds year after year, but we do not have the space to expand.” |
Why is our work in Iowa so important
During spring migration 800 million birds fly through Iowa, and over a billion during fall migration. This puts Iowa in the top five states in the country for numbers of migratory birds. Iowa provides an important flyway for over 400 different species of birds.
Birds are in decline due to light pollution, habitat loss, decrease in food sources, and other human and environmental impacts. The bird population has decreased by nearly 3 billion birds since 1970.
Birds are in decline due to light pollution, habitat loss, decrease in food sources, and other human and environmental impacts. The bird population has decreased by nearly 3 billion birds since 1970.
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“The first-ever comprehensive assessment of net population changes in the U.S. and Canada reveals across-the-board declines that scientists call “staggering.” |
What does the future hold for IBR
IBR is the only rehabilitation center in the state to specialize in all types of wild birds, including songbirds, waterfowl, game birds, and shore birds, and small raptors.
In 2024, IBR cared for over 3,100 wild birds and over 117 different species, we have already admitted over 1000 by the end of May 2024. The need is real. We are all in to build the first dedicate wild bird rehabilitation facility in Iowa. The birds need it, Iowans need it and we need your support to take IBR to the next level and expand our abilities to provide exceptional care for a variety of birds, ranging from our smallest hummingbirds to our largest North American bird, the Trumpeter swan.
“We are setting out to be leaders in wild bird conservation in Iowa, guiding Iowans on ways to help and support the wild bird population we all love and depend on.”
In 2024, IBR cared for over 3,100 wild birds and over 117 different species, we have already admitted over 1000 by the end of May 2024. The need is real. We are all in to build the first dedicate wild bird rehabilitation facility in Iowa. The birds need it, Iowans need it and we need your support to take IBR to the next level and expand our abilities to provide exceptional care for a variety of birds, ranging from our smallest hummingbirds to our largest North American bird, the Trumpeter swan.
“We are setting out to be leaders in wild bird conservation in Iowa, guiding Iowans on ways to help and support the wild bird population we all love and depend on.”
Be the voice for birds, help us in our mission!
Photo Credit: M//DESIGN, mdesigndsm.com
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What does IBR need to continue saving birds:
Strategic Expansion Plan:
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