December 14 – The raucous call of the ‘Alala will be heard this month on Maui, its ancestral home. The Hawaiian crow became extinct in the wild in 2002.
The last release from 2016-2020 in the Puu Makaala National Forest Reserve, where numbers declined and reintroduction efforts were paused, managed to return for care.
Two young females and three males from the United States Fish and Wildlife Services, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the San Diego Zoo were involved in this release on or about December 5.
On this joyous occasion, a ceremony was held by native Hawaiians in ceremonial dress.
‘Alala was armed with two transmitters each, radio and satellite, when they were released to the field team for translocation. The hope is that multiple groups of individuals will emerge.
The future youth will be guided by the original five to make their journey as easy as possible in the Kipahulu Forest Reserve, the first outside the island of Hawaii. No Hawaiian Hawk will endanger them on Maui.
The birds settled on the edge of a wet forest, with even wetter forest nearby, with more native fruits and plants that ‘Alala’ is known to forage on. As important seed dispersers, they play an ecological role suitable for ecological forests and can locate their preferred foods and exhibit normal behavior without threats from predators.
Field supervisors from the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project recommended that part of the strategy for releasing young cohorts is to use group adhesion to their advantage to associate and form pairs. They have time to work as a team and eventually learn territoriality.
Avian Recovery Specialists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance believe they will emulate the lead bird and learn together. The birds are in good health and have the right conditions for building flight muscles because they move easily through trees rather than in an aviary environment.
While in the outdoor aviary, health and well-being were continuously monitored, especially looking for stress signals. They were assessed for alertness, responsiveness, cheerful demeanor, sudden personality changes and physical sensation from beak to ass.
Just before the field team was released for translocation, one of the two females showed distress signals that required investigation. Her keel was assessed, the fat content was checked, the joints were palpated and the pressure points of the transmitter on the backpack were also observed. With the exception of the weight loss, which they are known for, and the behavior changes, she was doing fine.
‘Alala are cultural and biological resources that play a huge role in Hawaiian culture. Just like in the forest, everything functions together.
The big goal will be challenges to overcome, and the ‘AlalaTeam is working to get the birds back on track with this move, which will be a cause for celebration. The new habitat is the home they deserve, because they were so close to extinction.
It was an emotional moment for the team as they cared for these five chosen crows every day for months, giving them the best chance for success.
Deb Hirt is a wildlife rehabilitation and professional photographer living in Stillwater.
