6 rare Hawaiian crows released into wild

Nine months after its last attempt ended in failure, the state and its conservation partners Tuesday released another six captive-born Hawaiian crows into the East Hawaii wilderness, hoping to re-establish a species that hadn’t been seen in the wild since 2002.

The young alala — two females and four males — were released high into the Puu Makaala Natural Area Reserve, officials said.

Officials with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and San Diego Zoo Global said it took some time for the birds to emerge from the aviary where they had been temporarily housed for months, but eventually they appeared to exhibit curiosity toward their surroundings.

In December three birds perished in the first week following the project’s first release. Two were picked off by Hawaiian hawks, while the third was fatally weakened by a winter storm, according to necropsies.

The remaining birds were brought back into captivity, rejoining the more than 125 birds that represent the entirety of the species. Plans for a second release were shelved until officials could retool their strategy.

According to a news release, project leaders changed the timing of the release to avoid winter storms, moved the release site location, changed the makeup of the release group to include both males and females, and stepped up the “anti-predator training program” to teach the birds how to better respond to threats such as the hawks.

“This has been an ongoing learning process for everyone, to get it right for the alala to learn the skills they need to survive,” DLNR Director Suzanne Case said.

Plans call for the release of a second group of five birds — two females and three males — in mid-October from the same aviary.

Nine of this year’s released birds were moved to a spacious flight aviary early in the year, allowing them to acclimate to the wilderness and socialize with the two males that survived the December release. They were transferred to a smaller aviary in the forest two weeks ago, officials said.

Project officials are planning to release 12 birds a year over the next five years, with each bird outfitted with tiny radio and GPS transmitters for daily monitoring.

Once abundant on Hawaii island, the alala is important to a healthy forest in that they help disperse native plant seeds, according to scientists. Recently shown to be adept users of tools, the alala use a vast array of calls and vocalizations, more than any other raven or crow.

A ceremony marking Tuesday’s release was held at sunrise.