All language subtitles for Extraordinary.Birder.with.Christian.Cooper.S01E01.720p.WEB.h264-EDITH.1

CHRISTIAN: Damn,
look at all those Ravens!

I'm Christian Cooper
and I am a birder.

Oh, that was cool.

My dad was a biology teacher
and gave me my first pair of

binoculars when I was
about ten years old and

I never put them down.

Wow, not something
I've seen in my life.

Now I'm traveling the globe
to explore the world of birds.

That's amazing,
it's like a cloud.

And their relationship with us.

Those of us who
don't have wings.

Oh yes, oh!

And along the way,

I'll show you what I
adore about these crazy smart...

Your first look at
the outside world.

Dazzling...

It's fantabulous!

And super-powered
feathered creatures.

The things I do for the birds.

CHRISTIAN: Puerto Rico,
it's a Caribbean paradise.

For many of us, it's a place
to go to escape normal life

between the white sandy
beaches and crystal blue water,

this island's got it all and
don't even get me started on

the Pina Coladas.

Oh wow!

But Puerto Rico is way more
than a place to run from the

cold and sit under a palm tree.

It's got history, culture and
nature coming out the wazoo.

Between the mountains,
mangroves and rainforests,

it's the best of the
tropics rolled into one,

including incredible birds.

Gorgeous.

Which is why I'm here
for the very first time.

The best part of birding on
an island is finding species

that can't be found
anywhere else.

We birders call them endemics.

This place is home to 17
endemic species of birds and

I'm hoping to spot a few of
them to add to my life list.

I'm here in El Yunque,

it's the only tropical
rainforest in the

United States
National Forest System,

to witness the iconic
but critically endangered

Puerto Rican parrot.

You must be Marisel.

MARISEL: Hi Chris,
nice to meet you.

CHRISTIAN: Nice to meet you.

MARISEL: Welcome to
El Yunque National Forest.

This is the home to
the Puerto Rican parrot.

CHRISTIAN: I can hear them.

MARISEL: They're
begging for food.

We really need to feed them,
go ahead, grab one.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.
MARISEL: They're hungry.

CHRISTIAN: Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, Marisel Lopez,

is leading the charge to
protect this endangered parrot.

MARISEL: We have a breeding
facility here but it is to

release birds into the wild in
different parts of Puerto Rico.

CHRISTIAN: The Puerto Rican
parrot is a special bird,

with its bright green and blue
feathers and red striped brow,

it's the pride of
all Puerto Ricans.

Way back, the island's
Taino Indians named it Iguaca

after the squawking
sound it makes when it flies.

Sadly, nature's dealt the
Iguaca a bit of a rough hand

and between hurricanes,

hungry predators and the lack
of environmental protection,

they were down to
just 13 birds in the wild

in the early 1970's.

Now there's a plan
to bring them back.

So Marisel, what does
the Puerto Rican parrot,

the Iguaca mean to you?

MARISEL: This is the only
parrot species in the U.S.

continent and for
us Puerto Ricans,

this species represents
the culture of Puerto Rico.

Everybody knows about
the Puerto Rican parrot,

everybody loves the
Puerto Rican parrot.

CHRISTIAN: The Puerto Rican
parrot is a social butterfly.

Kind of like your
chatty crazy aunt,

they love to hang out in groups.

Noisy groups.

Out in the wild, most of their
day is spent in the forests

looking for food
but back near the nests

they're notorious flirts.

Especially when it's time to
partner up for nesting season.

Parrots take that
partnering seriously because

they typically mate for life.

MARISEL: We need to
put the feeders on.

CHRISTIAN: Alright.
MARISEL: Let me help you up.

CHRISTIAN: I've got it.
MARISEL: Nice.

CHRISTIAN: Pull it up?
MARISEL: Yeah.

CHRISTIAN: This parrot
program has been designed

so that all of the birds
born at the facility will

eventually be
released into the wild

but you might be
asking yourself,

what are all those little antenna
things these guys are wearing?

No, it's not the
latest in bird fashion.

They're radio transmitters that
are used to track the birds

once they're released and
it's completely harmless.

MARISEL: And now this
is going to go in here.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

You guys worked this out
pretty well didn't you?

MARISEL: Yes, that's what we do.

Now, we really need to move.

CHRISTIAN: Alright, well
we've got to let them eat.

The feeders in the trees are
put out for the released parrots

that are now living outside.

Free as a bird, you might say.

Their placement next to the
flight cage of the captive

parrots is no coincidence.

MARISEL: See all this.

CHRISTIAN: Ah,
beautiful, beautiful.

The flight cage is where
the soon to be freed birds

get ready for life in
the outside world.

The biologists here figured
out something pretty cool.

If you put the captive birds
right next to the wild ones,

they start to connect
because they're social.

So when the captive
parrots are ready for

release into the real world,

they already have a friendly
face to show them the way.

Hello.

Oh, this is interesting,

he just dropped his
cashews in the water.

Does he like them
like softened up?

MARISEL: Just like
when you have a coffee and

put bread in it.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, that's so cool.

Going up.

Wee, he's like, this is my ride.

Now that we've fed
the adult parrots,

it's time to see the next
generation of Iguaca.

MARISEL: This is
our breeding cages.

CHRISTIAN: Oh wow!

MARISEL: This is going
to get loud, be prepared.

CHRISTIAN: Ah, wow.

Parrots are notoriously loud.

I don't care what part of the
world you're talking about,

they're just rockets.

(squawking)

The noise you're hearing is
the Iguaca's way of talking

to each other.

Each squawk has
its own meaning like,

"hey kids, I'm home"

or "watch out,
stranger danger" or

"hey baby, what
you doing later?"

The Iguacas also have different
dialects based on where they

live on the island.

Much like New Yorkers
and Chicagoans each have

their own accents.

It sounds crazy but it's true.

MARISEL: Do you want to
see something really nice?

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

Marisel's team matches up
breeding pairs using genetic

testing and tracking.

If birds are genetically
compatible with each other,

they need to shack up.

It's kind of like an
arranged marriage.

MARISEL: Open this door.
CHRISTIAN: Open this door?

MARISEL: Yes. Open that, yeah.

CHRISTIAN: I'm a little
bit afraid of what's on the

other side of this door.

Aw, they're cute.

The parents will continue
to feed the chicks in their

constructed nests for
around two months.

Unlike most birds,

the young stick with
their parents for up to a year,

even out of the nest
before becoming independent.

Here are little baby parrots,

who are screaming
just like their parents.

(squawking)

It's as if 1,000 little
toddlers started tuning on

little tin horns all
at the same time.

(squawking)

MARISEL: They bite, be careful.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, I see that
and their talons are sharp.

Hi, hi.

MARISEL: How does it
feel Chris to have such an

endangered species in your hand?

CHRISTIAN: It really feels like
I'm holding a baby dinosaur,

it really does.

He's got a very dinosaur look.

Calmate, calmate.

To be in that enclosure with so
many of them was an ear ringing

experience to put it mildly,
particularly for someone like

me who considers
himself an ear birder.

MARISEL: Let's go.

CHRISTIAN: Outside the
cage the noise is mercifully

a few decibels lower.

MARISEL: Pablo.

CHRISTIAN: But nature,
as usual, never takes a break

and Marisel gets an urgent call.

MARISEL:
Pablo, give me the egg.

CHRISTIAN: One major issue
that's affecting the numbers of

Iguacas stems from a long
struggle with infertility.

MARISEL: Let's go.

CHRISTIAN: Marisel's team informs
her that a wild female parrot,

who's eggs they've been monitoring
has just left her nest and

they need to
pull a switcheroo!

MARISEL: We have a female and
we have to swap the egg because.

CHRISTIAN: Why do we
have to swap the egg?

MARISEL: Because the
egg is infertile.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, so she's
sitting on an infertile.

MARISEL: So, so right now
we're putting an egg that is

already hatching and
we have to do it quick.

See how this egg has
some cracks in it?

CHRISTIAN: Oh, so
it's already starting.

MARISEL: To hatch and we really
need to place it really quick,

so let's go.

CHRISTIAN: Okay, alright.

Mating pairs of Iguacas in
the wild are genetic gold and

they're crucial for
bringing this species back.

This egg is precious.

But if the egg of a wild
Iguaca is infertile,

the couple will have to wait
an entire breeding cycle before

they have another chance to add
a baby to the wild population.

To shortcut that, the team
swaps a fertile egg from a

captive breeding pair and
for the unsuspecting bird,

ignorance is bliss.

I'm holding this
hatching egg of a

critically endangered species.

If I drop this egg, some
ridiculous percentage of that

species is lost.

Wow!

So I'm panicked, oh my God,
I'm holding platinum.

I'm holding
living genetic platinum,

I must not drop it!

MARISEL: We need to
do this really quick.

Gabriel, he's going to climb to
the tree and he's going to get

the egg there and swap the
egg that is infertile and

we'll place this one and this
baby's going to hatch between

tonight or tomorrow.

CHRISTIAN: Ultimately, the
goal is that the female parrot's

motherly instincts will
kick in and she'll raise this

new chick in the wild.

So Marisel, how are you
going to get this up to Gabriel?

MARISEL: You're going
to pull it on the rope.

You are.

CHRISTIAN: Okay,
without breaking it.

MARISEL: Yes.

CHRISTIAN: It's a race against
the clock for this hatching egg.

Time to get it safely in
the tree before the female

parrot flies back.

CHRISTIAN: I'm in El Yunque
sending the egg of an

endangered Puerto Rican parrot
up into a nest high above me.

MARISEL: Gabriel we're ready.
Go ahead. All yours Chris.

CHRISTIAN: Alright.

I'm just the auxiliary
assistant here.

MARISEL: Suave Gabriel.

CHRISTIAN: Because there
are so few of these birds,

you're trying to make sure
that every mother raises a kid

that you can.

MARISEL: Important of
this is, if she's successful,

she will breed in the
same cavity next year.

CHRISTIAN: And hopefully
this time with a fertile egg

she will know just what to do.

MARISEL: Exactly.

CHRISTIAN: This swap's a
success but they're working on

other ways to get ahead of
the infertility problem.

MARISEL: Now I'm going to
introduce you to Dr. Rivera,

he's our aviary
veterinarian, Chris.

CHRISTIAN: Nice to meet you,
Dr. Rivera.

DR. RIVERA: Hello Chris,
nice to meet you.

See how beautiful he is?

We're going to look at the
reproductive organs of this

male and we're going to decide
whether he's going to be a good

breeding male or not.

We used to have fertility
problems for many years with

males but we didn't know until
we started doing endoscopy and

looking inside at the gonads
of the actual testicles.

CHRISTIAN: So we're going
to actually look inside the

bird and look at
his actual testicles?

DR. RIVERA: That's true.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, he's going
to not be happy about this.

DR. RIVERA: Actually,
they take it very well.

CHRISTIAN: All it takes
is a bit of anesthesia and

our sleepy young parrot is
ready for his big moment.

DR. RIVERA: When we
started doing endoscopy,

we improved our fertility 30%.

CHRISTIAN: Wow!

During Dr. Rivera's
time with the program,

they've gone from 13
Iguacas to 600 in both captivity

and in the wild.

Safe to say, he's an
expert on all things

Iguaca, testicles included.

DR. RIVERA: We're inside.
CHRISTIAN: This is crazy.

DR. RIVERA: We're looking
at the lungs here and that

clear membrane there,
that's the air sac.

CHRISTIAN: Oh my goodness.

DR. RIVERA: Birds have air
sacs that's why they're so light

and they are able to fly.

CHRISTIAN: While the source
of the infertility in these

parrots is a mystery,

Dr. Rivera and his
team want to make sure that

fertile breeding partners
are paired up so they have

the best chance
in having babies.

DR. RIVERA: So here is the
heart, you can see it beating.

CHRISTIAN: This is like
Fantastic Voyage when they

shrunk those people and put
them inside the human body.

And since all male birds have their
testicles inside of their body,

the endoscopy is the
quickest way to determine if

this young guy is
capable of having kids.

So can you tell by looking
at the testicle that this bird

is therefore fertile?

DR. RIVERA: Yes I can.

When they're not active
the testicle is small.

Look at his
beautiful left testicle.

So I'm going to pull out now.

CHRISTIAN: I've never examined
the interior life of a bird

to such an extent,
let alone its testicles.

Oh look, the eyes are open.

You did really well fella.

The thing I find most
interesting about the

Puerto Rican parrot is its
relationship to the people

on the island.

The fact that you've got a
group of people going to such

great lengths to preserve this
bird and that's a great story.

Fortunately, my time with these birds
isn't over and at the end of the week,

I'll be helping to release a
group of these parrots on the

other side of the island
but El Yunque isn't just home

to the Iguaca.

Puerto Rico's rainforest
is over 28,000 acres and

there are 96 other
bird species who live here.

Marisel's taking me deeper
into the interior of the park

to hopefully find one
mysterious resident who,

let's just say,

hides behind
nature's shower curtain.

So Jesus, digame, what
are we going to see?

JESUS: The black swift in here.
CHRISTIAN: Black swifts?

JESUS: Yes.

CHRISTIAN: Biologist,
Jesus Rios-Cruz has been

studying black swifts
for nearly two decades.

MARISEL: They're the most
mysterious and elusive bird

you can ever find.

CHRISTIAN: Excellent.

JESUS: The nest is near
or behind the waterfall.

CHRISTIAN: The black swift is
one of the hardest birds to

find because they rarely
ever stop flying which is

kind of cool.

Most birds regularly land
on the ground or in a tree

throughout the day but black
swifts only touchdown to roost

for a nights rest or to
sit on their eggs during

the nesting season.

Oh wow, pretty.

So is this the waterfall?

JESUS: Nope, it's up there,
the next waterfall.

CHRISTIAN: More, higher up?

MARISEL: Yes, we
have to keep going.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

About a quarter of a
mile up into the forest,

there's a 40 foot
waterfall where Jesus has seen

black swifts nesting before.

I think I can smell a
life bird coming on.

So behind waterfalls is one
of their favorite spots.

Ow!

So that must be great
protection against predators.

MARISEL: Something really
interesting about these birds

is they're completely black...

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

MARISEL: And when they're in those
crevices you cannot see them

unless you're just
in some type of light.

CHRISTIAN: I know,
that's why I'm like,

how did Jesus do this?

I want to learn,
I want his skills.

Oh wow!

JESUS: This is the nesting site.

CHRISTIAN: This is beautiful.

This is what birding is about,

it's not just about
seeing the birds,

it's about seeing the
birds in their natural habitat

and it takes you to spectacular
beautiful places like this.

The birds are so well
camouflaged that we need a

spotlight to try to find one.

Suddenly, 15 feet up the wall,
we hit the jackpot.

Oh yes, I see her.

Look at that, oh my goodness
and she's got her eyes on us.

Oh!

She's beautiful, she's got two
eyes on the side of her head.

She's all dark with
really kind of long wings

swept behind her as
she sits on the nest.

She's dark and yet she's so.

I don't know, there's something
about her that's very elegant,

she's got what looks like
a little tiny beak but she's

actually got a huge mouth
when she opens it up,

so that she can swallow
insects on the wing because

that's how she feeds.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

These birds live their lives, except
when they're nesting, in the air.

JESUS: Yeah, yes...

JESUS: The majority
of time it's flying in the sky,

mating in the sky...

CHRISTIAN: Mating in the sky? JESUS:
Yeah. CHRISTIAN: Sex on the wing.

Mile high club,
the only definition.

JESUS: ...preening
their feathers in the air...

CHRISTIAN: Preening in the air?

JESUS: Yes.

CHRISTIAN: As if, you know,
someone was in a convertible

speeding at 60 miles per hour
and was trying to

fix their hair.

Wow and quite honestly, as soon
as you take that light away,

I can't find her.

JESUS: It's amazing camouflage.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

The fact that a creature like
this exists invisibly to almost

everybody and yet there's
this little wonder tucked into

the side of a wall
behind a waterfall.

That to me is incredible
and that I got another lifer,

is also incredible.

Jesus, Marisel, you
made my day, thank you.

Getting a glimpse at a lifer is
what being a birder is all about

and I'm always looking
to add another lifer to my list.

So I'm heading to the most
mountainous jungly region in

Puerto Rico, Utuado.

It not only looks like
King Kong's backyard,

it's one of the rare places to
look for a tiny colorful and

endemic bird that nests
in the steep hillsides.

I'm looking for the aptly
names Puerto Rican tody.

It's small, hard to see,
you can hear it.

I'm going to try
and get eyes on it.

Local adventurer guide and
tody super fan, Jorge Perez,

is taking me to one of the tody's
favorite stomping grounds.

What is it that you love
about this bird so much?

JORGE: You know it's
like the island.

We are a small island and
this is a small bird but it's

big in heart.

CHRISTIAN: Like Puerto Ricans?

JORGE: Yes, correct,
that's true.

CHRISTIAN: So where are
we going to see them?

JORGE: You've got to
go down to the river,

so we're going to take that
little trail over there.

To make it that we
have an adventure.

Are you ready for that?

CHRISTIAN: Okay.
I am more than prepared.

The Puerto Rican tody is
a dashing little bird with

a bright green head and
fluffy red throat but don't be

fooled by its good looks.

It's an industrious little
worker and digger that uses

it's long beak to excavate
nesting holes in the hillside.

Despite their small size,

these birds eat well
above their weight class,

scarfing down up to 40%
of their bodyweight

in insects a day.

That big appetite
requires a lot of bugs,

which is why we're
here in the jungle.

JORGE: Careful, it's slippery.

CHRISTIAN: Oh wow!

JORGE: From here we can
spot the kayaks that we're

going to be using.

CHRISTIAN: Kayaks?
JORGE: Yes.

CHRISTIAN: I didn't realize
that to see this legendary bird,

I would have to go
through this mythic journey

through the underworld.

Not to put to fine of point on
it but how stable is

this geological formation?

JORGE: Hopefully, very stable.
CHRISTIAN: Hopefully, he says.

CHRISTIAN: I'm deep
in the jungle of Utuado,

about to kayak into a dark cave.

JORGE: Vamonos.

CHRISTIAN: My goal is
to get a glimpse of the

Puerto Rican tody.

Here we are on boats like
we're traveling the River Styx.

JORGE: It's beautiful man,
check it out.

CHRISTIAN: This is
actually pretty fantastic.

JORGE: Yeah.

CHRISTIAN: Going
into this cavern,

it's like you're traveling
through the bowels of this

organic creature like you've
been swallowed by a whale.

JORGE: In this side we
find the fruit bats.

CHRISTIAN: Wow!

Oh I just saw another bat go by.

JORGE: You see?
CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

The island of Puerto Rico
was formed by a volcano over

190 million years ago.

Gaging by the looks
of the rock above me,

this cave isn't much
younger than that.

These striations on the rock
just make it look so organic.

JORGE: Yeah.

CHRISTIAN: Have you
ever seen the movie Alien?

They're like in some alien ship
and it looks kind of like this.

Wow!

Fortunately, there's literally
light at the end of the tunnel

and hopefully some tody's too.

Hello, echo!

(whistling).

(operatic singing and whistling)

(operatic singing)

Okay, even if we don't see a
tody this was pretty incredible.

JORGE: We land it
here my friend.

CHRISTIAN: And then what?

JORGE: You can spot
that bridge over there.

From there we're going
to spot the tody's.

CHRISTIAN: Damn, you
think I'm "Indiana Jones".

I've been told that when
they lay their eggs,

their eggs are up to
25% of their bodyweight.

In other words,

imagine if we gave birth
and the baby weighed

one quarter of what we weigh.

JORGE: It's incredible,
nature is incredible.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.
JORGE: Ready for this?

CHRISTIAN: Oh boy, I haven't done
one of these since the Himalayas,

it freaks me out
crossing these things.

You're thinking the whole
time it's going to snap,

I'm going to like be
clutching for my life,

swinging,
smashing into the cliff.

Oh my God!

This is dangerous.

Peligroso!

It's beautiful though.

Oh wow, it's worth the risk
to my life to get this view.

I've kayaked through a bat
filled cave and pushed the

limits of my comfort zone crossing
a rickety suspension bridge.

I just want to see
a dang tody already.

JORGE: Safe ground.

CHRISTIAN: And as if on cue.

There he is, he's
right above us.

He's right, directly above us.
That little branch.

Oh he's adorable.

He's like this little tiny
bird with this giant head.

The ruby throat just pops
against the rest of the bird

because it's emerald
green on top and white and

just that throat.

JORGE: White and gray.

CHRISTIAN: And then
that big orange beak.

The other thing that makes
the bird so adorable is it's a

tiny bird but relative to the size
of the body the head is huge.

JORGE: Yeah, yeah,
they're strong.

CHRISTIAN: It's kind of
like if they made a teddy bear

out of it, you'd want to
squeeze it and hug it.

I don't know, it's cute.

JORGE: The nest should
be here somewhere.

CHRISTIAN: The nest isn't.

JORGE: It's a little hole.
CHRISTIAN: It's a hole?

JORGE: Like an
inch in the ground.

They will dig it at least
six inches to eight inches.

CHRISTIAN: I see it.

JORGE: In the entrance it's
always steeped down so the rain

doesn't bother but then on
the inside it's flat so they

can do their nesting and stuff.

CHRISTIAN: So they do a
little bit of engineering in

making this nest?

JORGE: Oh man, that's
why the beak is so big and

they are monogamous,

they are always together
so they protect their site

all the time.

CHRISTIAN: Monogamous,
they mate for life or just

for the season?

JORGE: No, for life, for life.

JORGE: You've spot?
Yeah, he's right there.

CHRISTIAN: There he goes.

JORGE: Check it out,
he's spotting us.

CHRISTIAN: Oh yeah, I see.

JORGE: Okay, he's giving
the back but he's like,

okay don't come closer.

I'm here, I'm watching you.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, now he
is the cutest thing alive.

JORGE: Now he is like,
trying to trick us too.

He's moving.

CHRISTIAN: It's trying to
get your attention because

it's trying to get you to stop
looking this way at the bank

where its nest is, instead
look at it and you're like,

oh you're so cute and
meanwhile the nest is over there

and it's done its job.

So you know, while I would
love to think this is entirely,

you know, our skill
at finding the bird,

really the bird wants us to
find it because it's trying

to lead us away from the nest.

JORGE: Always.

CHRISTIAN: And I just
thought we were good.

Not only would I come
here if I were a bird,

I would come here as a person
because it is so beautiful.

Whenever a birder gets a
life bird, we're like yes.

Seeing the Puerto Rican tody was a
life bird for me and I loved it.

CHRISTIAN: My time with
the tody in Utuado was epic

but it's time to hit the coast.

So I'm headed to the
beach town of Aguadilla where

a favorite friend of
the locals lives in

the trees along the water.

The brown pelican.

ROBERTO: Alright, let's go.

CHRISTIAN: Because
of climate change, hurricanes

and the almost insatiable
appetite for beach front

property in Puerto Rico,
the trees that the brown

pelicans need for nesting are
disappearing at an alarming rate.

ROBERTO: Are you
ready for pelicans?

CHRISTIAN: I'm ready.

Local guide, Roberto Rafols
is doing something about it.

ROBERTO: Pelicans inside of
this bay are part of the brown

family pelicans or in
Spanish pelicano pardo.

They live in central America,

(speaking in Spanish)

and they go all the way to
the United States.

They can produce from
one to three eggs.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

Where do they nest, on
the ground, the trees?

ROBERTO: They nest in the
beautiful trees of our town.

CHRISTIAN: Pelicans
are so unique looking.

They've got that giant schnoz,

they've got these two bug eyes
sticking out of the side.

They've got that big throat
patch that they can expand.

The oversize head
relative to the bodies.

All birds are dinosaurs but you
especially realize it from them.

Then when they start plunge
diving for catching fish,

that's just awesome to behold.

They're sailing up
there and then they just fold

in the wings and bam!

ROBERTO: We're getting
closer to their habitat.

CHRISTIAN: Roberto's interest
in these pelicans was inspired

by his father who showed him
how to care about these birds.

He often visits the pelicans,
who look out for his arrival.

ROBERTO: Let's
see who is coming.

CHRISTIAN: And if
they don't see him,

they definitely
won't miss his call.

(conch horn)

Here's comes a pelican in.

ROBERTO: Hello my love,
how are you?

ROBERTO: Everybody in the island
call me Captain Pelican, yeah.

ROBERTO: I grew up with birds
and pelicans was one of the

most beautiful birds.

ROBERTO: I see pelicans
more than my kids so I must be

in love with pelicans.

For me they're like a partner,
it's like my friend,

they're part of my life.

ROBERTO: We need to
protect their land, their trees,

where their habitat is and
right now we're creating the

National Pelican Reserve;
that will prevent people from

destroying their habitat,
their trees.

CHRISTIAN: And is
that going to be here,

the proposed reserve?

ROBERTO: Yes.
CHRISTIAN: Oh that's impressive.

Anything that
protects the pelicans,

a great for them to
roost and to breed.

ROBERTO: Yes, we're trying for

pelicans [can] live in our
bay for many years.

CHRISTIAN:
Pelicans like this guy?

ROBERTO: Yes. This is Peace,
Peace is a young pelican.

CHRISTIAN: Roberto and this
young bird have an especially

strong bond, one they
discovered by accident.

ROBERTO: When Peace was born, [his]
mom brought [him] to the boat.

And I start to call him,
like, "Peace, Peace"

and he didn't answer,

so then we figured out
that he was deaf.

He doesn't have too
much expressions.

He's just by my side always
and he tries to sneak under

my arm and he's wonderful.

He's always there,
he loves kids,

he just fly to kids and he
wants to be on top of the kids,

in their heads and it's real
fun to be with Peace in my life.

I love him.

CHRISTIAN: How can you
tell one from the other?

ROBERTO: There are some marks in their
beaks and their colors are different.

ROBERTO: You can
see more orange here.

And you see the left leg?
It's wider than the other one.

Just a slight difference,

but I start noticing every
detail of each pelican.

So for me pelicans are
more than an animal,

they're my partners, like
my kids, they're my family.

CHRISTIAN: Roberto clearly
cares about the birds and is

fighting to preserve their
habitat which is awesome but I

was conflicted because
feeding wild birds makes them

a little bit less wild
but if Roberto helps

preserve nesting sites,
go Roberto.

I'm heading to the north coast
of the island in search of a

seabird and master hunter
that I haven't seen since

I was a kid.

I'm here to meet a biologist
who's going to take me to see

the most elegant
seabird there is,

the white-tailed tropicbird.

Alcides Morales is an expert
on Puerto Rico's birds and he's

taking me to the
Quebradillas cliffs where

these most graceful,

almost stylish birds are known
to nest along the coastline.

So Alcides, you study
white-tailed tropicbirds and

I haven't seen tropicbirds
since I was a kid and my family

took a trip to Bermuda.

ALCIDES: Oh really, okay.

CHRISTIAN: And I was blown
away by how, you know,

the white and the long tail
and how super elegant they are.

White-tailed tropicbirds have
a crazy long streamer like tail

that makes them really hard
to miss but they're more

than just a pretty bird,

they're master precision
hunters that can spot their

next meal from as high up
as 65 feet in the air.

Because of their aerodynamic
shape and narrow wings,

they can stay aloft for super
long periods of time which

comes in pretty handy when
they need to spend days fishing

far out at sea.

I still can't get
enough of them.

Oh they're gorgeous.

ALCIDES: Look at
those tail streamers,

how they hang out.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, yeah.

Just a little bit of black to
emphasize the white you know.

ALCIDES: It looks like a mask.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah and then that
orange leading part of the bill

and they've got
those tapered wings.

Almost like a falcon that gives
them more of that sleek look

and especially when you see
them next to the brown pelicans

because you know,

I like brown pelicans
but they're kind of clunky.

They're kind of big and
awkward and then you've got

the tropicbird that's like.

ALCIDES: Yeah, they're
of the same family.

CHRISTIAN: Really but
they're so completely different.

ALCIDES: So
completely different.

CHRISTIAN: Their body types.

It's like saying elephants and
rhinos are in the same family.

ALCIDES: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

They can catch about 20%
of their own bodyweight.

CHRISTIAN: Because
I weigh 200 pounds,

so 20% of my bodyweight
would be if I like ran a

marathon with 40 pounds
strapped on to me.

ALCIDES: Exactly.
CHRISTIAN: Wow!

It only took 50 years
but seeing a white-tailed

tropicbird again was
worth the weight.

But not far from the coast,

Alcides is sending
me to a one of a kind property

that's also been a half century
in the making and apparently,

it's a place where
birds help other birds.

CHRISTIAN: I'm at
a nature preserve,

Hacienda La Esperanza,

a bird haven that
nearly 190 species call home.

Project official for the
habitat restoration project,

Juan Ramon wants to
show me what makes this

property so special.

So Juan, this used to
be a sugar plantation.

You've got a bunch of
habitats now, what have you got?

JUAN: It is a very
diverse reserve.

We have coastal forest,
we have wetland swamps,

we have all types of
habitats for all types of

different bird species.

CHRISTIAN: Wow!

This 2,100 acre property
was a plantation that since

the 1800's had
grown sugar cane.

Not known as the most
environmentally friendly of crops.

In 1975 it was given a
new purpose and since then

conservationists like Juan have
managed the land so birds of

the island have a protected
place to live and thrive.

JUAN: I'll show you
right now, follow me.

CHRISTIAN: And that's all
thanks to a certain bird from

the nearby mountains,
who's made the Hacienda it's

giant bathroom, the
scaly-naped pigeon.

JUAN: Look there's one right
there, there's one right there.

Do you see it?

CHRISTIAN: I'd never seen
a pigeon that big before.

This thing's ginormous,
it's like gigantor of pigeons.

Clocking in at anywhere
from 14 to 16 inches long and

weighing a chunky three
quarters of a pound,

these birds seem enormous
compared to the pigeons that I

see in Time Square and
while scientifically they're

relatively close in size,
just by looking at them,

I'm not buying it.

The whole body is this kind of
dark gray and the head is a deep,

deep dark red.

The feather pattern looks like
scales on the back of the neck.

So it's a very unique pigeon,

I'd never seen a
pigeon like that before.

So just to be clear because I
think people think all pigeons

are the same, there's a lot
of different species of

doves and pigeons.

JUAN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAN: And this particular
species of pigeon is completely

different from the pigeons
you would see, say in a city?

JUAN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAN: These guys thrive
in woodlands and they're eating

woodland fruits and when
they poop they spread the seeds.

JUAN: Yeah, so they'll
take them from the tree,

poop them out in a
completely different area and

that's how the
new forest starts.

CHRISTIAN: Well it's not
necessarily a great subject for

dinner table conversation,

bird poop is vital to the
health of many ecosystems and

birds like the scaly-naped
pigeon play a super important

role in creating
habitat for other species.

So this is the forest
that the scaly-naped

pigeons have created?

JUAN: Yep and this is what
the pigeons are bringing in,

new tree species.

This will grow into a new tree and
with these new species of tree,

they'll come
new species of bird.

CHRISTIAN: So how will you
know what birds have come?

JUAN: We've been using sound
recorders to capture the birds

that have been singing
here and using this area.

CHRISTIAN: So, in other words,

you're placing sort
of nanny cams for sound?

JUAN: Yep.
CHRISTIAN: Alright, okay.

JUAN: Let's do it.
CHRISTIAN: Esta bien.

They can't have people in the
new forests 24/7 monitoring,

it's just impossible, nobody
has that kind of manpower.

JUAN: There you go.
CHRISTIAN: Okay.

The technology lets
them take a shortcut.

BOTH: There we go.

CHRISTIAN: The bird songs Juan captures
with the recorders are plugged

into a computer database
which helps to identify the new

species that are coming to
the Hacienda but sometimes

even the computer gets stumped.

Excellent.

JUAN: So when the
computers just don't cut it,

we bring in the experts.

Come on.

CHRISTIAN: Juan brings
me to meet Jose Salguero,

a local ornithologist
who became legally blind and

turned to his
hearing to identify birds.

So you rely on your ears
even more than I rely on my

ears to find birds?

JOSE: Oh yeah.

CHRISTIAN: Until very recently,

people talked
about bird watchers and

then suddenly people
started using the term birders.

There's a reason for that,

it's because it's
not just watching,

it's also listening.

Jose relies solely
on those ears,

he is the true
definition of a birder.

JUAN: So these are some files
the program could not ID for us.

JOSE: That's a gray kingbird.

(speaking in Spanish).

CHRISTIAN: That one I've
learned since I got here

from the call.

(speaking in Spanish)

JOSE: There's a
northern mockingbird.

CHRISTIAN: Oh your
ears are good.

My ears are good but
your ears are good.

It was very exciting to see
someone parse the sound here

the way I would parse sound
back home in New York.

He was able to listen
to those reproductions

on multiple levels and
hear not only the bird that's

on top but the bird that was
singing beneath it and

the bird that was
singing beneath that and

all these faint sounds and he
knows what they are instantly.

That's skill.

The number of birds that
Jose is able to identify at

the Hacienda including
the ones that the computer

couldn't catch is
beyond impressive but he

has one more bird up his sleeve.

So what is it?

JOSE: You hear that,
that is something,

a bird that is really important
for us here in Puerto Rico in

terms of bird conservation,
that's a limpkin, a carrao.

CHRISTIAN: The limpkin
is a leggy, tropical,

wetland loving bird that is notorious
for its signature haunting cry.

When those wetlands
dried up on Puerto Rico

that cry disappeared.

It has a curved bill with a
twisted tip that it uses to

pluck snails from their
shells in the mud.

Snails that now live in the
re-established wetlands here

at the Hacienda.

JOSE: In the 1950's the bird went
silent throughout the island.

CHRISTIAN: Gone, gone
from Puerto Rico.

JOSE: In the recent years
we've heard that sound again,

so it means that our
conservation efforts of

bringing back this freshwater
swamp is bringing diverse

species into our reserve.

CHRISTIAN: That's fantastic.

The limpkin is their proof
that this place can come back,

that the island can come back,
that its people can come back,

that its birds can come back.

This is a wonderful
thing to find.

My week of birding in
Puerto Rico has been beyond

anything I ever expected but it's time
for me to get to the west side of

the island
because I have a date.

CHRISTIAN: I'm heading deep
into the forest to take part in

the release of seven
Puerto Rican parrots.

It's a big day for the
Puerto Rican parrot,

it's a big day for me and
I understand it's more

complicated than just
letting them out of the cage.

Introducing a captive bird
into the wild is no small feat.

The preparation and
logistics are staggering.

The Iguacas need to be brought
safely to the location,

the weather conditions
need to be just right.

The presence of predators
like red-tailed hawks needs

to be monitored and the
birds will need to be tracked

once they're released.

Everything needs to be perfect,

which is why it only
happens a few times a year.

So why have you chosen
this part of Puerto Rico

to release parrots?

MARISEL: We did an assessment
of six forests in Puerto Rico

and we determined this was
the best suitable habitat for

parrots because it's one
of the most diverse forests

on the island.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, oh, oh.
MARISEL: See, see.

CHRISTIAN: Oh!

MARISEL: That's the group
we released in January 2022,

they've been out for six months.

CHRISTIAN: They're pretty. MARISEL: Can
you see them? CHRISTIAN: Yeah, yeah.

MARISEL: And now what we're
going to do is release seven

birds, they are going to
learn from the ones that

already on the outside.

CHRISTIAN: So these guys
already know the ropes,

the ones in the cages are
going to learn from the ones

who have already been out.

MARISEL: How to avoid predators,
how to hide,

but this is a big
deal for us, you know.

Supplementing and starting
this population for our program

is our main goal.

CHRISTIAN: The numbers of wild
parrots plummeted in 2017 when

hurricane Maria hit and the
program had to start back at

square one and reintroduce
a whole new group of Iguacas

into the forests.

Now Marisel and her team are
finally getting the numbers of

released parrots back
up and fortunately,

I'm getting to be
part of that history.

MARISEL: I have Raul here,

Raul is going to be
conducting telemetry today,

this is the
equipment that we use.

CHRISTIAN: Each parrot
released into the wild is

essentially priceless and

the radio transmitters on
the birds will help to monitor

their every move.

Are we ready?

MARISEL: We are ready.

We're going to
open the gate now.

Jesus to Marisel?

JESUS (over radio):
Go ahead Marisel.

MARISEL: Release the birds.

JESUS (over radio):
Ok, copy.

The cage is open.

CHRISTIAN: Yes, yes,
I see them moving.

MARISEL: We open the cage
but we don't scare them we

just allow them to
leave whenever they want.

It might take two minutes,
it might take 15,

it can take an hour before all
of them are out of the cage.

CHRISTIAN: These birds have
no sense of urgency here.

MARISEL: No, remember
they're from captivity,

they're used to being in cages.

CHRISTIAN: It doesn't
take long before the Iguacas

snap to it and realize
the door is wide open.

JESUS (over radio): We have
blue-orange outside right now.

CHRISTIAN: One down, six to go.

We got one, he decided to go!

MARISEL: He was not afraid.

WOMAN (over radio):
We have another bird outside.

MARISEL: Another bird. CHRISTIAN:
Another one, two, two.

WOMAN (over radio):
A third one.

CHRISTIAN: Third.

JESUS (over radio):
We have another.

CHRISTIAN: So how
many is that now?

MARISEL: Five.

CHRISTIAN: Two more to go.

MARISEL: Two more to go.

CHRISTIAN: I was saving the fist
bump for when they are all out.

MARISEL: Ah, okay.

All of them are out.

CHRISTIAN: All are out.
Now we can high five.

MARISEL: High five.
There we go.

CHRISTIAN: The birds may
have left the cage but our

works not done
because this is a whole

new world for them and well,

birds are going to go
where they want to go.

MARISEL: One of the
people that are in the forest,

in the top, they
saw a red-tailed hawk.

MARISEL: There it is.
CHRISTIAN: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

There he is right there,
right over the cage.

MARISEL: Oh my God and soon
we have our red-tailed hawk.

CHRISTIAN: It's a stressful
moment for the team,

there's only so much they
can do when a predator like

the red-tailed hawk shows up.

MARISEL: There it is.
CHRISTIAN: Yeah, there he is.

And when it's hungry,

well it's going to do
what it's going to do.

All the team can do is
try and scare it away.

MARISEL: See the staff,
they're moving their hands.

CHRISTIAN: Which honestly seem
futile but shockingly it works.

JESUS (over radio):
He's moving away.

MARISEL: He's moving away.

CHRISTIAN: Now that
the hawk has gone,

we want to make sure the newly
released parrots weren't scared off.

MARISEL: So now we have
the frequencies already here,

we're going to
start doing telemetry.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

MARISEL: Let's just
stop here because the red-tail

was here so we want to go now
through all of the frequencies.

Just move the antenna.
I'll help you out.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

MARISEL: That's another bird.

That's another one.

That's another one.

So right now, 38, we
don't hear their signal.

CHRISTIAN: Okay,
which is not what we want.

MARISEL: Number 33 and number
38, we can not hear the signal.

Are they in the cage?

WOMAN (over radio):
We're missing one.

CHRISTIAN: While six birds
are still in the area,

one is AWOL and there's a
chance that it might have

freaked out when
it saw the hawk.

It could still just be
hiding out of range from

our telemetry trackers.

It's hard to know what's
happening with that last bird.

It's the tough reality of
dealing with nature but Marisel

and her team will
continue to try and locate it

long after I've left the forest.

So mission accomplished in
terms of getting the birds out

of the cage and in terms of
tracking six of the seven birds?

MARISEL: Yes. CHRISTIAN:
So successful release?

MARISEL: Successful release.

CHRISTIAN: Well done.

MARISEL: Thank you.

CHRISTIAN: This is the
foundation of what birding is

all about which is
conserving the wild,

appreciating the wild and
if there are no Puerto Rican

parrots then that part of
the wild's lost forever.

So that's why this
is so important,

particularly to
the Puerto Ricans.

This is a symbol of their
resilience and of their

survival of their rebuilding
and that's awesome.

Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.