In May 2014, fifteen young mangrove finches were raised in captivity in Galapagos and returned to the wild, increasing the population of this critically endangered species by approximately 25%.

1. Mangrove Finch head-starting program, 2014
Photo Journal
A collaboration between the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galapagos
National Park Directorate, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the San
Diego Zoo

2. The first months
In 2014, the Charles Darwin Foundation, the
Galapagos National Park Directorate, and the San
Diego Zoo collaborated to rear and resettle fifteen
captive reared mangrove finches in their native habitat.
This represents a 25% increase in their population, as
the hatchlings would likely have perished otherwise.
This would not have been possible without the support
of SOS Save Our Species, Galapagos Conservancy,
and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable
Trust.
Here is a photo-journal of their first
months.

3. Project leader Francesca Cunninghame collects the
first nest at Playa Tortuga Negra

4. GNPD ranger Wilson Villafuerte lowers a mangrove
finch nest

5. Collected eggs are placed in cotton wool cups in a
thermos upon arriving at ground level

6. Richard Switzer (SDZG) and Wilson Villafuerte
(GNPD) relay the thermos of eggs out of the forest

7. Eggs in the portable incubator at PTN prior to
transport to Puerto Ayora

8. Aviculturist Beau Parkes (SDZG) carefully holds the
portable incubator before take-off

9. Helicopter under contract from GNPD transports
mangrove finch eggs to Puerto Ayora

10. Mangrove finch eggs installed in Brinsea incubator
at CDF hand rearing facility

11. Newly hatched mangrove finch chick

12. Nestlings in individual nest cups inside brooder

13. Egg shells from captive hatched mangrove finch
eggs

14. Mangrove Finch Project technical assistant Anita
Carrion hand feeds a mangrove finch nestling

15. Nineteen day old mangrove finch fledgling in holding
cage at captive rearing facility

16. GNPD vessel Gaudalupe River arrives off shore at
PTN with the second cohort of mangrove finch
fledglings to be released into the wild

17. Mangrove finch fledglings inside the pre-release
aviaries within the mangrove forest at PTN

18. Mangrove finch fledgling learns to forage on natural
lava rock inside the pre-release aviaries

19. Mangrove finch fledgling at a food tray containing
fallen black mangrove seeds and Lepidoptera larvae,
an important natural food source for wild birds

20. Mangrove finch fledgling on a natural perch
investigates red mangrove foliage inside the pre-
release aviaries

21. Mangrove finch fledgling on a black mangrove log
inside the pre-release aviaries

22. Francesca Cunninghame (CDF), Marcel Gavilanes
(GNPD) and Paul Medranda (thesis student CDF)
fitting a transmitter to a mangrove finch fledgling

23. Two Mangrove finch fledglings with scapular
mounted transmitters at a feeding dish inside the
pre-release aviaries the day before their release

24. A mangrove finch fledgling as it leaves the aviaries
and goes into the wild for the first time

25. Released mangrove finch fledglings rests on the
outside perch after returning to the aviaries for
supplementary food

26. Released captive reared mangrove finch fledgling
with its transmitter aerial showing

27. Released mangrove finch fledgling takes a rest from
foraging on a fallen mangrove trunk

28. Paul Medranda and Ana Carrión (CDF) conduct radio
tracking of released captive reared mangrove finch
fledglings inside the mangrove forest at PTN

29. Released captive reared mangrove finch fledgling 24
days after release inside the mangrove forest at PTN

30. Released captive reared mangrove finch feeds on
ripe Palo Santo fruit in arid zone vegetation 700m to
the south of the mangrove forest at PTN

31. Thank you for your
support!