Although at least five crow species historically occurred throughout the Hawaiian Island archipelago, the ʻAlalā, or Hawaiian Crow, is the only one that still exists today. One of the rarest corvids in the world, the ʻAlalā was declared Extinct in the Wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2002, after researchers had taken the last wild individuals into captivity in order to save the species. The ʻAlalā is also federally and state-listed as Endangered.
Like other members of its family, which includes the American Crow and the Common Raven, the ʻAlalā is a noisy, sociable, and highly intelligent bird. Its Hawaiian name means “to cry out loud,” an accurate description of its vocal personality. Native Hawaiians consider the ʻAlalā to be an ʻaumakua (family or personal god), and its feathers were sometimes used ceremonially.
American Bird Conservancy stands up for birds across the Americas. We halt bird extinctions, conserve vital habitats, eliminate key threats, and build the capacity of our partners.
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