(BIVN) – The hopeful comeback of the Hawaiian Crow was the topic of a November 7 After Dark In The Park talk in Volcano.

‘Alalā Project staff Jackie Gaudioso-Levita and Rachel Kingsley gave an update on the most recent reintroduction efforts to establish a wild population of ‘alalā. They were joined by special guests, biologists Paul Banko (USGS) and Donna Ball (USFWS), who shared their past experiences of observing ‘alalā in the wild.

Video of the talk was recorded by the National Park Service. The full presentation is available online.

Part of the discussion focused on the failed release in 2016. Two ‘alalā were apparently killed by the ‘io, or Hawaiian hawk.

The ‘io is a known predator of birds, including the ‘alalā, and so the most recent release tried to better prepare the crows for life in the forest. They put Kapono, the resident ‘io of the Panaewa Zoo, to work.