Oakland Zoo Recovers 5 of 6 Birds That Escaped Storm-Damaged Aviary

Oakland Zoo Recovers 5 of 6 Birds That Escaped Storm-Damaged Aviary
Greeters help visitors as they arrive at the Oakland Zoo in Oakland, Calif., on July 29, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Associated Press
3/27/2023
Updated:
3/27/2023
0:00

OAKLAND, Calif.—California’s Oakland Zoo has recovered all but one of six birds that flew the coop last week when a tree fell during a storm and damaged an aviary.

A pied crow named Deauville was captured March 25 after an Oakland resident a few miles from the zoo reported that the distinctive black-and-white bird was in her yard, according to the zoo’s social media posts.

Zookeepers lured the bird into the home and quickly shut the door behind it.

That left one fugitive to recover, another pied crow named Diego, the zoo said.

The two pied crows, three superb starlings, and a hooded vulture named Oliver escaped from the San Francisco Bay Area zoo on March 21 when the falling tree tore a mesh covering over the African Savanna aviary.

The starlings did not venture far from the aviary and were soon recovered. The hooded vulture spent three days in trees on zoo grounds before food treats lured him to the flamingo habitat, where he was recovered.