About Author: Amy Kuhar

Posts by Amy Kuhar


Alala Chicks: Time to Move Out of Mom and Dad’s House!

Three alala chicks share a perch soon after being moved into a new aviary together.


Last year was momentous at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center in Hawaii. For the first time in over 20 years, alala (Hawaiian crows) successfully hatched and reared their own chicks in managed care, completely unassisted! Two chicks (a male and female) were raised by their mom, Po Mahina. To learn about her parent-rearing journey, read Alala: Does Mother Know Best? Another male chick was raised by a caring alala mom named Lolii. This gave us a total of three parent-reared chicks!

Before the species went extinct in the wild in 2002, young alala chicks were known to live with their parents until the following breeding season. Today I am happy to report that these three parent-reared chicks are doing fantastic. However, they just went through an experience that many animal species (humans included!) go through: the time to stretch your wings and move out of mom and dad’s house!

We wanted to move the chicks gradually and as stress-free as possible, so a few weeks ago we shifted them to the chamber next door to their parents. This way the chicks could still see, hear, and interact with their parents. Both the chicks and their parents hardly seemed bothered by this change! Then it was time for the big move. All of our alala are conditioned to come down to a hack box (a small room with sliding hatch doors) every day for their normal food pan. On the morning of the big move, the chicks were shut into their hack box, then quickly netted and placed into animal carriers. The chicks were then taken to their new home in a separate aviary, just a short car ride down the road. Once there, all three chicks were released into their new aviary at the same time.

Since Lolii’s chick was an only child, this was the first time for him to meet other chicks. We worried that he might have a harder time adjusting to living with other chicks, because getting used to new roommates takes some adjustment, whether you are bird or human! We also worried that Po Mahina’s chicks might gang up and bully Lolii’s chick, so we closely observed their interactions following the release. Our worry was needless, because everyone quickly worked out their differences, and at the end of the day, all three chicks were sitting together on the same perch!

What’s next for these three youngsters? For now, they will probably stay together for a couple of years until they become mature alala, around three years of age. During that time, their blue eyes will slowly start to transition to dark brown. Their bright pink gapes (corners of the mouth) will turn black like an adult’s. Instead of their boisterous begging vocalizations, they will soon sound like adults and call out to each other with an amazing repertoire of calls and songs.

What about those super moms? Po Mahina and Lolii’s breeding and nesting instincts are starting to kick back into gear. Now it’s time to turn on our alala video cameras so we can watch the parent-rearing process start all over again!

Amy Kuhar is a research associate at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center in Hawaii. Read her previous post, Nene Nest Fest 2014!


Alala Chicks Fledge!












Alala Mom Shows How It’s Done















Alala: Does Mother Know Best?

Here is alala Pomahina's nest and two eggs.









Pizza for the Birds!

Amanda Maugans and Amy Kuhar are ready to spread the news about efforts to help Hawaii's native birds.

The Maui Bird Conservation Center (MBCC) and the Flatbread Company of Maui teamed up for a fund-raiser on March 20 we called “Pizza for the Birds.” In addition to helping generate funding for MBCC, the event also served to educate and raise awareness about our efforts here.

The Flatbread Company is located in the quaint beach town of Paia; it is a local favorite but also attracts many tourists visiting the island. The restaurant is known for creating a great atmosphere and delicious wood-fired, clay-oven pizzas. Most of the ingredients used to make the delicious food are organic, free-range, and sourced from local farmers. Flatbread hosts a fund-raiser for nonprofits every Tuesday night. Each fund-raiser has a banner that’s hung on the walls, giving the restaurant a unique and ever changing décor. On March 20, it was our chance to shine. Our banner was hand made by interns at MBCC during their own personal time, showing dedication to these birds both on and off the clock.

In the weeks leading up to the event, we passed out flyers and invited friends to help spread the news around the Maui community about our fund-raiser. For the night of the event, Flatbread was packed! Even though it was a Tuesday, lots of tourists and local community members came out to show their support. All of the MBCC crew came out as well to talk about the birds and explain why the work is so important. At the door, we took turns handing out brochures and answering questions about our program. It was a great way to help educate and connect with the Maui community and tourists alike. Even though some of the patrons may have been unaware of the status and threats of the endangered Hawaiian avifauna when they arrived, we feel that they left with a greater understanding of the work that goes on at MBCC.

Flatbread Company donated to our program a portion of the cost of each pizza bought that night. The Maui community and tourists rallied to the cause and ate enough pizza to generate a substantial donation to the Maui Bird Conservation Center! The money will be a great help toward improving our facilities and aviaries for our breeding programs. The night was a huge success and a lot of fun. MBCC was happy to have a chance to talk to the community and help educate everyone. A big mahalo! to the Flatbread Company for being so generous and giving back to the community!

Amy Kuhar is an intern at the San Diego Zoo’s Maui Bird Conservation Center in Hawaii, part of the San Diego Zoo’s Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.