Cited from endi.com and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service "Houdini, one of the parrots the U.S. Fishing and Wild Life Service maintains in captivity," fascinated the students, as they commented how different this parrot is from other birds, even asking if they could take one home. "The workshop, which wanted to educate the children on the importance of preserving the Puerto Rican parrot, was an initiative of the Herencia Foundation. This is a non-profit organization, formed by builders, that plans to raise funds for the construction of a new aviary for that species, declared an endangered species in 1967." "The students drew the Puerto Rican parrot, obtained historical data on that species and listened to the story "Freedom", about a Puerto Rican parrot with a "secret desire", narrated to them by its author, Jose Rabelo Cartagena." The Puerto Rican parrot, or iguaca as it was called by the taíno indians, measures about 30 centimeters and has a shining green plumage with a red band. More than 500 years ago it had a population of near a million individuals, but deforestation, contamination, urban development and natural phenomena like hurricanes reduced its wild population to less than 50 individuals. Its main habitat is El Yunque, where there is an aviary since 1973. In 1987 a second aviary was built in the Rio Abajo forest in Utuado. The second aviary in El Yunque, for which Herencia is raising money, should be ready this summer. By the end of the workshop the students had learned their lesson: "I think that we have to conserve them, and that nobody captures them. I don’t know, they are just so pretty!" commented of the students.