Florida Keys Wild Bird Center

Defientlly worth a pit stop for an hour to walk the area. It is free to explore but they take donations which are greatly appreciated. Its quite awesome what they do here. There are the birds in rehab and many other birds that just like to hang around pelicans are everywhere. There is a particular one that likes to hang out. He is different but in the cutest way! You’ll know what I mean when you meet him. He has little spasms here and there. They know who the workers are also which is quite funny. Never thought I would get that up close and personal with them!

It was a wonderful place! A must see if you’re here! It’s a great program and cause!

We stopped here one afternoon, and this place was spectacular. On the day we visited, not only were there plenty of birds recovering and rehabbing in the cages, but there were also loads of wild birds visiting (pelican, ibis, egret, vulture, etc.). If you like pelicans, this is the place — at one point, there were four wild pelicans guarding the path within inches of us. (I think we came after feeding time, so they might have been looking for some grub!)
Once you walk past all of the pens, you get to the water’s edge. There were several pelicans and gulls hanging out. Further beyond, we reached a small pond where we saw a stork and two roseate spoonbills. The spoonbills were a gorgeous pink color, and I’d never seen a bird like that in the wild before.
For just a $ 5 suggested donation, this place is totally worth it.
If you like birds, go here.
If you have a fear of birds, stay away :)

Amazing place!!! How many times in life do you get to hold a cockatoo or feed a pelican? Staff was kind and knowledgeable. The sanctuary is beautiful… Pelicans everywhere! They do accept donations. We visited several times during our month in the keys, and enjoyed every visit.

This place is kind of a dump. But it has a great purpose. They rely on donations to keep up the property, and the animals, and it shows. You shouldnt need more than 15 minutes in this place. If you make your way past the rehab pelicans theres a nice photo op in the back.

This place is amazing! We stopped in to check it out and it was totally worth it! Incredible birds in a beautiful setting. The work that the folks at the sanctuary are doing is essential. It’s free to enter but you’ll definitely feel compelled to leave a donation for the birds. Check it out!

You go here because you love birds, you love wildlife, and you appreciate the ever under-​appreciated volunteers and die-​hard people who work tirelessly and often with little or no income to help injured birds.
This is a home-​grown sanctuary. It’s primary concern is not your entertainment. It exists to help birds that otherwise would have died or never recuperated from an injury (or been euthanized if taken to other sanctuaries).
Sure it’s not in the best shape. This place operates off donations and goodwill only.
However, if you are looking to learn a little, talk to the volunteers and employees. They’ll be happy to discuss the birds with you — after they’ve finished their chores. Take in the sights. See their behavior. Introduce your children (and other adults) to the realities of human impacts on wildlife and how we can help. Go to the shore at the end and watch real-​life birds. I saw birds in the wild at the sanctuary that I didn’t see the rest of my entire week in the keys.

Awesome little spot. Be careful you don’t miss the turn off for it. They have lots of birds that they’re rehabbing and you can tour their pens and learn about the animals as well as sit by the sound and watch the wild birds.

My girlfriend and I came here for my 30^th birthday and we saw so many different species of birds! It was amazing and I’m so glad we stopped here.
The bird center is composed of well organized paths throughout the forest. At each stop there are different species of birds, from owls to pelicans. It is a small donation upon arrival and it goes towards helping the birds.

The Florida Keys Wild Bird Center is not for everyone but it was perfect for us the day we visited with out of towners. Every visitor is looking for something different, and this time our visitor really liked birding. Unfortunately, I know little about birding. Even after trying to research, we weren’t really sure how to get a birding experience into their short trip. We were planning a trip to Key Largo at the last minute found this place was there.
The thing is if either our visitor or me knew a lot about birding in South Florida, maybe this place wouldn’t have been interesting for us. However, the plethora of places that one could go to was overwhelming, and we wouldn’t know what we were looking for or when. At the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center, they help injured wild birds, the kinds of birds that a birder would be looking for in the wild. However, since they are injured and can’t be released yet or ever into the wild, the birds are all right there for easy viewing in a cage. With a cliff notes birding in South Florida guide, we had a blast siting the birds in the cages on our guide. Then, in the middle, they have a wild shore area where we could practice finding the birds in real life.
All the reviews are right (the good and bad). If you’re looking for a Disneyworld experience this isn’t it. It’s not really a large place. You have maybe 10 – 20 cages with birds scattered inside and then what might look like a boring nature area. There is a guide that you can use and some name plates, but it’s not much. It’s not glamorous. However, if you’re one of those people that wants to have a cheap vacation ($ 5 suggested donation I think), you’ll like this. If you’re one of those people who makes your own excitement (such as a little child full of curiosity), you might find this interesting. There are those who love the cause as well (saving wild birds). At any rate, it probably turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for our visitor, so I was glad we found it.
Lastly, I do want to warn that the parking is tight. Happy bird-​seeing!

I took a group of first year college students to volunteer at this sanctuary and rescue and it was a great experience! There was plenty of work to be done asb the staff was friendly and helpful. When we were done we got a tour and learned a lot about animal welfare and the importance of rescues like this. Definitely a cool local spot to stop in when you’re in the keys!

Took the kids there for a fun adventure and to see birds. I was very surprised at how much they had but also how little they had. Loved being able to go down to the water to see the pelicans right on the water. Wish there had been more on the water and more to do while we were there. It is a $ 5 donation per person to enter which does not seem to be a lot when you all of the different birds that need to be cared for while you are walking around. My daughter would how loved to feed the birds or even see the hospital area where they take care of the animals but those options are not available. It was a great place to start our day of finding animals in the keys.

We took our 20 month old here and had a great time! We had no issues with small! It’s beautiful. The birds we saw in and out of cages we loved. Clearly they are going a great job helping these birds.
We also enjoyed chatting with the parrots! The views and relaxation by the water is not to be missed!

Strangely I would have to agree with both of the most recent reviewers before me – this place is both a mess and fantastic. (Question: Does that qualify it as a ‘hot mess’?)
I visited at the end of this past January. The center is a very simple, low-​to-​the-​ground little spot right off the highway, where injured birds are hosted in enclosures, either temporarily or permanently depending on their individual situations. There are also myriad pelicans running around free – wow those are some strange-​looking creatures up close. The Center has a bit of a Deliverance feel to it, which I personally thought added to the charm. The birds are lovely, the curious little Screech Owl was my absolute favorite. I’ll post a photo of him. As others have noted, the place smells terrible (raw fish will do that) and it’s a bit run down. And I thought it was absolutely perfect. Tip of my hat, and my cash, to this wonderful place and the folks who run it.

I’m not sure if the comments on here came from real people or just blind people. The cages are a mess the fence is old and rusted it stinks the nature trial is old and broken and if you don’t die from falling threw the trial the smell will kill you.

This place was fantastic! It was a great experience for the whole family. Displays are right on the path, wild birds walking about the paths, a beautiful setting with easy walking path to the ocean. Our 3 little ones loved it! We honestly weren’t expecting much — but this place was a Gem for an ecological bird experience. It’s free — but could really use donations — so my last word of encouragement would be to donate generously!

As a «bird nerd» I’m always on the look out for places to see interesting birds up close, and this place delivers. Raptors, owls, seabirds, egrets, ibis, terns, ducks, and a LOT of pelicans… some are even wandering the boardwalks with you! Totally free, but donations are welcome. Its a great cause, too — rehabilitation and care for injured birds.

BOTTOM LINE:
If you are a bird lover this is a must do attraction. This place is FREE — no parking charge, no admission, no fees at all. If you are sympathetic to the cause (rescuing and rehabilitating wild coastal and migrating birds) they would gladly accept a donation.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
This is a working facility; it is basically a maze of boardwalks that walk you through man-​made habitats holding an incredible number of different bird species. In addition to the injured birds that are staying in the facility you will also see some incredible birds just hanging out in the wild. The walkways also end at the water where I saw dozens of pelicans and other sea birds just hanging out. This is not a Sea-​World type attraction, there is no gift shop or food court; this is just a cool place that is worth the stop. The employees that I met were all very knowledgeable and more than happy to talk about the operation. Plan on spending about an hour to an hour and a half.

Great place to see all kinds of birds: pelicans, spoonbills, various species of owls, etc.
Icing on the cake is that the place is a sanctuary for injured birds.

Okay,
it always stinks of bird poo.
Still fun.