Day 8 of Avian August 2025, Birds of Hawaii, hosted by @cookiedoves: ʻAlalā or Hawaiian Crow (Corvus hawaiiensis)
The ʻAlalā is the only crow species native to Hawaii. Sadly, they were declared extinct in the wild in 2002, but conservationists have been breeding them in captivity and reintroducing them to native Hawaiian forests since 2016.
One of the more clever birds out there, the Hawaiian crow — like its cousin, the New Caledonian crow — has been observed using tools (sticks) to extract bugs from crevices. They can solve puzzles, remember human faces, and form complex social bonds. In captivity, they even teach problem-solving skills to younger birds. They also produce over 30 distinct calls, ranging from alarm calls that alert others to danger, to vocalizations that function like names for individuals.
Reintroduction to the wild can be risky for the birds. In captivity, they are trained to recognize hawk vocalizations in preparation for life in the forest — though hawks are just one danger. Like most native birds on the islands, their greatest threats are mammals (such as cats and mongooses) introduced by humans.
*Plant featured is a native Hawaiian tree species, ʻŌlapa or Common Cheirodendron (Cheirodendron trigynum)
