The ʻAlalā Project: Restoring Hawaiʻi’s Native Crow to the Wild

ʻAlalā are unique treasures of our Hawaiian forests.

• A bird that is native to Hawaiʻi and found nowhere else on earth
• Considered extinct in the wild
• Very intelligent
• Revered in Hawaiian culture
• Hawaiʻi’s only surviving native crow species
• Arrived in Hawaiʻi before human settlement and adapted to Hawaiʻi’s unique environments
• Forest builders who spread seeds of our native forest plants. They can help revitalize and restore our beautiful Hawaiian forests

Next Steps

A Finding of No Significant Impact for the Environmental Assessment for the pilot release of ʻalalā on Maui has been signed. Read the Final Environmental Assessment here or visit our News & Events page to read the FONSI and more information.  

With everyone’s help, we can restore the ʻAlalā to its home in the wild.

• ʻAlalā releases occurred from 1993-1998 and 2016-2019 on Hawaiʻi Island. Planning is ongoing for future releases on both Hawaiʻi and Maui Islands.
• There are now over 110 ʻalalā in captivity. Thanks to the amazing success of the captive breeding program, we have a sustainable source of birds for release.
• Conservation agencies across Hawaiʻi have been working tirelessly for many years to protect and restore Hawaiian forests that the ʻAlalā can call home.
• ʻAlalā face many threats to their survival in the wild. Identifying and reducing these threats will help the ʻAlalā thrive.
• E Hoʻolāʻau Hou ka ʻAlalā: May the ʻAlalā thrive once again in their forest home!

No kākou ke kuleana. The responsibility lies with each and every one of us to make sure that the ʻAlalā will be welcomed home to our Hawaiian forests once again. We must build community-wide support from our keiki to kūpuna.

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Contact Us

You can email us directly at [email protected]