This happens to be the year of the forest birds, and scientists are now a step closer to releasing a flock of endangered ʻalalā, or the Hawaiian crow, in East Maui. It's the first release outside of Hawaiʻi Island.
Conservation officials cleared a final environmental assessment with a “Finding of No Significant Impact” last week.
The birds have been extinct in the wild since 2002.
Now, 120 birds are being raised in captivity at two breeding facilities — one on the Big Island at Keauhou and the other at the Maui Bird Conservation Center — with some help from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
The Conversation spoke with Michelle Bogardus, deputy field supervisor for the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Service, and Rachel Kingsley, an education and outreach associate with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project and the ʻAlalā Project.
This story aired on The Conversation on March 6, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
