M ost of the species bred at the center are small forest songbirds. The center is the first place in the world that has raised a wild songbird from egg to adult, reintroduced adults into the wild, and had them breed. But they have never taken an endangered bird from the wild. Instead, they begin with eggs pulled from wild nests. The borrowing has little impact on the wild population, as the pair usually produces a second clutch.
Staff raise the chicks to maturity and then allow the birds to select mates and breed.
Some captive-laid eggs are then pulled for hand rearing. Two for them, two for us, says Lieberman. Staff candle each egg every day, shining a light through the shell to monitor its development. If a chick runs into trouble while hatching, staff sometimes help break it out, but if they intervene too soon, the chick might die. Every chick and every egg, Lieberman says, we anguish over every one of em.