. >> reporter: marisol lopez flores runs the program. she's telling me feeders have been set up outside the habitat. >> and they will shoot out of the cage? >> no, hopefully not. what we're doing, this is called a soft release. we open the door before, and after the door is open, we will allow them to fly. >> very casual, huh? >> exactly. >> reporter: in puerto rico, it pushed the parrots towards extinction. when birds lose their habitat to land development, it limits where they can live, find food, and raise their young. research from cornell university found since 1970, a loss of almost 30%. the future is looking brighter for these birds. taking cautious steps. a quick meal and they're off to join their friends on the outside, become wild birds. the >> i wanted to be a biologist ever since growing up in tennessee. >> reporter: tom white has been working with the parrots since the early 90s, helping to rebuild the population until 2017 when hurricane maria made landfall in puerto rico, killing 3,000 people, causing historic floods and l