Five ʻalalā will soon be released into the wild from a temporary field aviary on the slopes of Haleakalā – the latest in the reintroduction of the Hawaiian crow.

the ʻalalā population reduced drastically in the 20th century. The last wild pair was seen in 2002, and they are considered extinct in the wild.

Intensive breeding efforts for ʻalalā on Maui and the Big Island began in 1996. Previous releases on the Big Island were unsuccessful as most of the birds were ultimately killed by ʻioHawaiian hawk.

This pilot project on Maui is a joint effort between the state and conservation partners, including the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. It will be the first Hawaiian crow release on Maui.

Hannah Bailey, the zoo host Hawaiian Endangered Bird Conservation Program, also operates the Keauhou and Maui Bird Care Centers.

All five birds set for release, three males and two females, hatched at the Keauhou site. Bailey said the chickens were raised to think for themselves — and with little human contact.

“We wear a hat with a little face on it. It’s actually like a mosquito mask, or it’s a hat with a screen on the front. The other thing we do is we try to limit a lot of discussion around them. We don’t talk to the birds, it is not a pet,” Bailey said. “We bought out all the plastic crows on Amazon last year, so we have them around. And we have almost like little dolls that we’ll use for feeding as well.”

Conservationists continuously play forest and bird sounds so that the birds are not distracted by human conversation or building noise. The ʻalalān also learned tactics to avoid predators.

“We have a stuffed barn owl that when present hears vocalizations associated with predators or alarm calls,” she said.

Bailey said the conservation program has about 115 birds that range in age from a few months old to their late 20s.

When deciding which birds to release into the wild, they choose those with the most common genetics.

“There’s a very large part of what we do that’s art and kind of gut, and then we try to document everything so we can get the science of it. And that’s why we’re starting to look more at personalities as well, because there’s a a lot of research out there that shows that certain animal personalities or matings produce more offspring or get along better, says Bailey.

This interview was rebroadcast The conversation on 25 October 2024. The Conversation is broadcast weekdays at 11 on HPR-1.