Fun Hawaiian Crow Facts For Kids

The Hawaiian crow, also known as the alala was one of the largest crow species that was found in the dry and mesic forests of the Hawaiian islands.

The alala was declared extinct in the wild in 2002 and as of 2014, there were only 115 Hawaiian crows left on the globe, with the majority being studied and researched for breeding purposes in the Hawaiian Research Center in America. The alala was known to be among the loudest crows and they used to travel and hunt in groups. These birds live for longer durations when kept in captivity. Farmers and predators like hawks, cats, and mongeese were the main predators of the alala and were the biggest reasons for the extinction of the species. The Hawaiian crow's breeding season lasts from March to July and its nest is built using native Ohi'a tree branches in a joint effort from both sexes. The chicks are protected by their parents and are fed for 60 days after hatching.

Alala birds were very cute birds but their loud sounds could be irritating. These black birds were known for their ability to fly tremendously fast. To learn more about this wonderful bird read on, and to learn about other birds and animals, why not check out our articles about the tawny owl and the Guam rail.
 

What type of animal is a Hawaiian crow?

The Hawaiian crow (Corvus Hawaiiensis), or alala, is an omnivorous bird. Dry forests and big islands in Hawaii were the main places where this species used to exist but since 2002, they have been declared extinct in the wild.

What class of animal does a Hawaiian crow belong to?

As part of the Animalia kingdom, alala birds belong to the Aves class. They are birds that are found on the island of Hawaii in dry forests.

How many Hawaiian crows are there in the world?

The Hawaiian Crow population went to almost zero in 2002 and the species was declared extinct in the wild. There were only 114 alala birds in 2012, out of which, the majority were in the Hawaiian reserves. The alala species was endangered for a long time before becoming extinct in the wild. Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working hard with this Hawaiian bird species, trying to increase their population by captive breeding.

Where does a Hawaiian crow live?

The alala lives in wood and forest habitats on the island of Hawaii. These birds can also live in captive conditions and today they breed by the captive breeding method. Before the alala become extinct in the wild, they used to live on the slopes of Hualālai and Mauna Loa at elevations of 3,000-6,000 ft (914-1828 m).

What is a Hawaiian crow's habitat?

The Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) lives in dry and mesic forests. These are the best-suited habitat for this species and food availability in these forests is relatively good. They are native to the island of Hawaii. Today, they live in captive conditions where they are fed properly and are be kept in groups so they can breed by the captive breeding method.

Who do Hawaiian crows live with?

The Hawaiian crows are very social animals and live and move in flocks or groups. This species even hunts and attacks in groups, which is known as mobbing. Before they became extinct in the wild, groups of these birds were often found hunting, moving, and relaxing together.

How long does a Hawaiian crow live?

An adult Hawaii crow of this species can live up to 18 years in the wild and when kept in captivity, it can live for 28 years. When kept in captivity, they face no threats from mongeese, cats, mice, and hawks. Also, they are safe from farmers and the alala are provided food and a place to nest in.

How do they reproduce?

The natural breeding season of the Hawaiian crow (Corvus Hawaiiensis) lasts from March to July. In the wild, the nest was built by both sexes, using branches from native Ohi'a trees and grasses. The nest was built by the alala in the forest canopy at locations that are safe from predators like the Hawaiian hawk. The female laid between three and five eggs in the nest in mid-April and incubated them for 18 days. The eggs hatched after a month, by mid-May, and the chicks, or baby alala birds, were fed by their parents for 60 days.

What is their conservation status?

The Hawaiian crows' population reached zero in the wild in the year 2002. The current conservation status of this forest crow (alala) species is 'Extinct in the wild'. Despite this, not all hope is lost. There are some experiments in breeding being carried out at San Diego Zoo in America in order to produce the alala crow's captive species and hopefully release them in the wild.

What do Hawaiian crows look like?

The alala are a large-sized crow species that are known for their ability to fly high and hunt small mammals and reptiles. The species is currently extinct in the wild and the birds have a brownish-black, soft plumage and long throat feathers with a black bill, legs, and feet. They have grey-black eyes which are the most beautiful part of their body.

*Please note that this is an image of a crow, not specifically a Hawaiian crow. If you have any image of a Hawaiian crow please let us know at [email protected].

How cute are they?

These crows are very cute in appearance. They have black beaks, feet, and legs with brown-black feathers in their neck area. The alala are large-sized crows that can be quite loud when they interact with each other.

How do they communicate?

The alala (Hawaiian crow) communicate vocally by making different sounds from near or far locations in large volumes. Long-distance calls generally consist of a variety of humanlike yells, shrieks, whoops, and howls while the close-contact calls include growls and mutterings.

How big is a Hawaiian crow?

The alala are large crows at about 19-20 in (48-50 cm) in length. They weigh approximately 1.14 lb (520 g). This species of crows is double the length of a hummingbird!

How high can a Hawaiian crow fly?

The exact height that an alala can fly is not specified but these birds were generally seen flying over the canopy of the forests they lived in. They built their nests at a decent height in a safe place to protect their eggs from predators like the Hawaiian hawk.

How much does a Hawaiian crow weigh?

The weight of an alala is within the range of 0.75-1.14 lb (300-520 g). The weight of the species depends on its habitat, the forest it lives in, and the availability of food.

What are their male and female names of the species?

There male and female names of this species of birds are not specified. we do know that the Hawaiian crow (alala) scientific name is Corvus hawaiiensis.

What would you call a baby Hawaiian crow?

There is no particular name for a baby alala (Hawaiian crow), all birds of these species are called Hawaiian crows (Corvus hawaiiensis), with the latter being their scientific name.

What do they eat?

These birds are omnivorous creatures and can eat both plants and animals for survival. At least 50% of the diet of these birds included land snails, isopods, and arachnids from tree trunks and branches. They also eat insects, worms, arthropods, mollusks, food grains, seeds, nuts, small amphibians, reptiles, and eggs.

Are they aggressive?

Yes, the alala is an aggressive bird and is capable of attacking a human. They sometimes even include their families in a group attack, which is known as mobbing. They also dive down towards or poop on animals that they consider to be threats.

Would they make a good pet?

No, alala are not suitable pets as they require special care due to their conservation status.

Did you know...

There were only 115 Hawaiian crows left in 2014 and most were in Hawaiian reserves for breeding.

Alala always moved in groups and were among the largest and loudest crows on the planet.

'The Alala Project: Restoring Hawaii's Native Crow To The Wild' is a project initiated by the State of Hawaii to help these Hawaiian crows survive.

Hawaiian Crows sound like cats when they communicate in certain situations. They can make sounds like "caw", "aaa-wooo", "whaaaa" and "aa-waaoop" based on different situations. They are very social birds and can be very loud.

Why are Hawaiian crows extinct in the wild?

After being found on the island of Hawaii for about 1000 years, the Hawaiian crow disappeared from the wild in 2002. The alala became a victim of multiple threats like habitat loss, diseases such as toxoplasma gondii, avian malaria, and fowl pox, and the activities of predators like cats, mice, and mongeese caused their extinction in the wild back in 2002.

What do Hawaiians think the Hawaiian crow symbolizes?

This crow was thought to be an 'aumakua', which means a 'family guardian spirit', and was respected and worshipped by Hawaiians.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including the crowned eagle, or carrion crow.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our crow coloring pages.