Return of the Alalā
by Ariella Nardizzi
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
No roads or trails lead into the boggy rainforests of the Kīpahulu Forest Reserve on the leeward slopes of Haleakalā. Yet, it is here that five ʻalalā – the native Hawaiian crows that went extinct in the wild in 2002 – now reside. Three male and two female juvenile birds were released on Dec. 4 in a historic conservation effort to restore the species to its natural habitat.
These jet-black corvids once graced Hawaiʻi Island’s skies, revered as ‘aumākua (family guardians). They are distinctive for their sleek black feathers, one-foot-long wingspans, and haunting, human-like cries. Fossilized remains of a similar species have also been found on East Maui. By 1976, habitat loss, disease and overpredation brought their population to just 76. The last wild pair was spotted in South Kona, Hawaiʻi Island, in 2002 – the year the ʻalalā were declared extinct in the wild.
Since then, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has bred over 115 ʻalalā in captivity. In 2016, conservationists reintroduced 29 of these birds to Hawaiʻi Island. However, continued habitat loss, avian diseases carried by introduced mosquitoes, and predation by feral cats, mongooses and ʻio (Hawaiian hawks) caused high mortality rates. By 2020, the remaining birds were returned to captivity at the Keauhou and Maui Bird Conservation Centers.
“ʻAlalā have been in captivity for way too long. We can’t keep bringing birds into captivity without an exit plan,” said Dr. Hanna Mounce, manager of the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project (MFBRP). “We need to get these birds back onto the landscape where they belong.”
In fall 2024, hope was renewed. Five captive-bred ʻalalā were transported by helicopter to a temporary field aviary on Haleakalā in early October. Before their release, members of Nā Hanona Kūlike ʻO Piʻilani offered a pule (prayer) to honor the birds.
“The manu [birds] don’t have voices to speak for themselves,” Kumu Kaponoʻai Molitau said. “The intentionality of our work was to uplift their voices in this ancestral landscape. It’s a huge kuleana [responsibility] to ensure our decisions benefit not only the natural environment but also those without voices, like our manu people.”
Young birds were selected for the release because they are less territorial than adults, increasing the likelihood of successful pair bonding, foraging and group cohesion.
After adapting for three to four weeks under close supervision, the birds were released into Maui’s refuge.
Kīpahulu Forest Reserve was chosen for its isolation and abundance of native vegetation – lessons learned from the 2016 Hawaiʻi Island initiative. Each bird is outfitted with a GPS transmitter attached to a cloth harness worn like a backpack, allowing conservationists to track their movements.
The ʻalalā play a vital role in forest health by dispersing seeds of over 30 native plant species, effectively acting as “forest restoration engineers.” “We don’t have other native species operating like larger fruit-eating birds,” Mounce said. “The ʻalalā will make a big difference for the health of Hawaiian forests.”
This Maui release is considered experimental, as the island lacks ʻio (Hawaiian hawk) predators, making it a safer environment for the ʻalalā. Partners including the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy are collaborating on breeding and rehabilitation efforts.
“There are still big questions about whether Maui has enough habitat to support wild corvids,” Mounce said. “This project will help determine how Maui fits into the broader recovery of the ʻalalā.”
If the birds successfully reproduce, their offspring may eventually move to the Big Island. Mounce believes that a population reintroduced to the wild – especially one raised in part by wild-born birds – will develop better strategies for evading predators like the ʻio.
If effective, the once-silenced calls of the ʻalalā will echo through Hawaiʻi’s forests again, a testament to the resilience and restoration of the islands.
Members of the Nā Hanona Kūlike ʻO Piʻilani offered a pule, a prayer, to honor the ʻalalā before they were released on the slopes of Haleakalā. – Hawai‘i DLNR
