Reviving Awe: Hawaii Receives One of the World’s Rarest Birds

For the crows of Hawaii, or 'alalā, hope is reborn to be able to live again on the Pacific island. Disappeared in the wild in the territory of the fiftieth state of the United States, these birds, among the rarest on the planet, due to their number, could make a comeback.

Conservation efforts undermined

Until now, attempts to reintroduce the animal into its ecosystem have been in vain. Indeed, as reported in New York Timesthis is not the first time that we have tried to breathe new life into the crows of Hawaii.

Although these birds have disappeared in the wild in the archipelago, scientists tried, a few years ago, to release several individuals. Thus, between 2016 and 2019, 30 birds were able to fly on their own. But everything didn't go as planned. Today, only five individuals are still alive and they returned to human protection in 2020, after the other 25 were killed by hawks or other predators.

That's when scientists abandoned the idea of ​​reintroducing the birds to Big Island, Hawaii's main island. In 2024, the idea is different, the crows will regain their freedom on the second largest island in the archipelago: Maui.

“ They carry all the hopes of their species ”

The island of Maui, a little smaller than Big Island, seems to be the ideal place for the attempted reintroduction of the five birds. Especially since this attempt could well be the last.

“They carry all the hopes of their species. They are the future.” explained Alison Greggor, a doctoral student and researcher at the San Diego Zoo, who participated in the reintroduction of birds to the American archipelago.

However, changing the environment of an animal to reintroduce it could have dramatic consequences on the island itself. Indeed, during different episodes of colonization and takeover of the territory, several endemic species, including birds, were almost decimated because of rats or agricultural species which devastated the forests.

“There is always a risk” declared Anibal Pauchard, a professor at theUniversity of Design in Chile in New York Times. However, if there is a risk, it has been assessed as minor since the species does not move very far from its island of origin, in a roughly similar environment.

But this should not remove the whole surveillance aspect of this reintroduction. “I think it's a desperate situation and they are doing the right thing” explained the Chilean professor to the American daily.

Little by little, the birds left

After having acclimatized them for a few weeks on Maui, the fateful date arrived. It was time for the birds to leave their aviary. It was after a small ceremony that the scientists opened the doors of the aviary.

But the birds, accustomed to the comfort of it as well as to the presence of Man, did not immediately rush outside. Only a rather reckless female approached from outside.

“She started perching on the roof of the aviary, the others were hanging on the wall and looking at her saying, “Hey, what are you doing here?”, It didn't take long for 'they realize that they too could go there”’ marveled Martin Frye, a research supervisor on the reintroduction of Hawaiian crows, to the New York Times.

A moving moment which saw the birds return to nature, first in the surrounding trees, then further and further away. Only time will tell if efforts are made to reintroduce alalā into the wild in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Source : New York Times