As mentioned in the previous blog, Corvid Cupid (part 2), we spend innumerable hours each breeding season monitoring and analyzing the breeding behavior of the `alala flock as part of the San Diego Zoo’s Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.
An `alala female normally gives signals that she is laying an egg, but we usually have to wait for her to leave the nest before we know for sure. Not this time. This is `alala studbook #149, named Po Noe, laying an egg in the nest. As a rare treat, Po Noe stood up a little while laying the third egg of her second clutch. You can actually see the egg being laid.
(Note: This video only seems to open on Macs, not PCs. We apologize!)
Jennifer Holler is a seasonal research associate/student intern at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center in Hawaii, part of the San Diego Zoo’s Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.