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Also known as the Hawaiian Crow, but it is a distinct species that reminds me more of a raven than a crow. The San Diego Zoo has an ongoing program to preserve the endangered Alala; a little selective browsing (start with the Institute for Conservation Research) will yield several articals on the alala. This particular print astounds me not only for its beauty, but also for the way detail is maintained throughout the blacks.
From the series of thirty-three prints, Living Endemic Birds of Hawaii, by Marian Berger.
From the hisurf.com website: "The Hawaiian crow known as 'alala is one of the many endangered birds in Hawaii. These Hawaiian crows have once flourished over all the Hawaiian islands in 1891. Now there are less than thirty `alala left in Hawaii. According to the February 15, 1996 issue of the Honolulu Advertiser, the 'alala is down to just 15 birds in captivity and 14 in the wild. The 'alala can be found on a 5,300-acre parcel of Kai Malino Ranch on the Kona Coast of the Big Island, Hawaii." Since this writing, due to captive breeding the population of the alala has doubled as of 2010.
The 'Alala is a forest bird that occupies the ecological niches that woodpeckers, parrots, and toucans do in other tropical forests. It eats mainly fruits and berries, along with some insects. The 'Alala is an endangered species and considered extinct in the wild, since none of these birds have been seen or heard on their native island, Hawaii, since 2002. The HEBCP began raising this species in 1996, when there were only about 23 birds in existence. Now the population has increased to 77. Land management programs are underway that will allow for future releases of the Hawaiian crow.
Copyright Marian Berger. All rights reserved; images are protected under US copyright laws and may not be copied or reproduced in any manner.