Hawaiian Crow Research Articles

MUSLIM POLITICAL THOUGHT SINCE COLLAPSE OF OTTAWA UNTIL NOW

This study shows how the miserable political conditions of Muslim ummah were across Muslim world ,after the end of first world war with the collapse of Ottoman Caliphate. This also proves the indispensability of the institution of caliphicate for the unity of the Muslim and their prosperity. In the context of political downfall of Ottomans, the western powers destroyed the unity of Muslims by inventing new terminology of Muslim nations. Not only in the Muslim world but even in the Arab world racial, linguistic and parochial prejudice has been inculcated in the minds and hearts of Muslim towards each other. This turmoil situation is evident from the terrible clashes of Arabs with Turks and between East and West Pakistan Bengalis v/s west Pakistanis. However, in this political turmoil Muslim thinkers came forward and tried to regenerate the Muslim ummah and to re establish an Islamic state which could protect muslim from being destroying, most important among them are, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, maulana Abul’ kalam Azad, Syed Abu al ala Maulana Modoodi,and Dr.Israr Ahmed.A brief description of their work has been discussed in this article.

Evaluating the role of caretaker‐rated personality traits for reproductive outcomes in a highly endangered Hawaiian corvid

AbstractPersonality studies are increasingly relevant and applicable to a broad range of conservation issues, including a role for selecting compatible mates in conservation breeding programs (CBPs). Choosing compatible breeding pairs is essential for maximizing reproductive success in CBPs, which provide assurance populations for species facing extinction and candidates for translocation to support wild populations. We investigated the value of caretaker‐assessed personality ratings of the critically endangered ‘Alalā (Hawaiian Crow, Corvus hawaiiensis) in predicting reproductive outcomes: nest quality, fertile egg production, and hatchability in the ‘Alalā CBP. Caretakers used well‐defined operational definitions to rate 22 personality traits for 69 male and 59 female ‘Alalā, achieving high inter‐rater agreement (ICC ≥ 0.85) for 8 traits – aggressive, bold/fearless, fearful, imprinted/abnormal, inept, submissive, territorial, and tendency to feather pluck (a stereotypic behavior) – used in a principal components analysis to distill intercorrelated variables into three principal components. While we did not find that personality influences nest quality or hatchability (based on limiting inferences to fixed effects with high relative importance scores; ≥0.8), we found some evidence that pairs with males that were more territorial/aggressive and fearful than their mates had a higher probability of egg fertilization, but there was substantial variability in this relationship, with confidence intervals overlapping zero. These personality traits may influence pair dynamics, enhancing compatibility, may predict better pair coordination on the nest, or both. Our results highlight the ability of caretakers to successfully identify ‘Alalā personality traits and provide some support for integrating personality into the pairing process; however, further research is needed to understand the value of ‘Alalā personality as a mate selection tool. The application of similar approaches to enhance CBP performance in other taxa is promising, but will require overcoming methodological challenges surrounding the complexity of data collection and interpretation of consistency among raters.

The influence of pair duration on reproductive success in the monogamous ‘Alalā (Hawaiian crow, Corvus hawaiiensis)

Conservation breeding program practitioners select potential mates in an attempt to maximize pair compatibility and maintain genetic diversity. Therefore, pair duration, or the number of breeding seasons that individuals retain the same mate, is practitioner-determined in these settings. There is a critical need to evaluate whether pair duration influences reproductive success in ex situ assurance populations, particularly for socially monogamous species. The ‘Alalā (Hawaiian crow, Corvus hawaiiensis) is a monogamous forest bird that is currently extinct in the wild. Today, ‘Alalā exist only in human care for intensive conservation breeding. We analyzed breeding program data from 2018-2021 to determine the effects of ‘Alalā pair duration and age on reproduction (nest building, egg laying, hatching, and fledging). We found that pair duration does not influence reproductive outcomes, and thus practitioners can be more proactive when re-pairing birds. Female and male age, on the other hand, influenced the probability of nest building, clutch production, and overall reproductive success. Nest building and clutch production probabilities were high (near 1) and stable as females aged from 2 to ~ 12 years old, declining sharply thereafter. In males, overall reproductive success (from building robust nests to rearing at least one nestling to fledge) increased with age from 2 to ~ 9 years old, peaked and reached an asymptote with males ≳ 9 to ~ 13 years old, and decreased in males ≳ 13 years old. Thus, integrating age into the pair selection process will increase the likelihood of achieving conservation goals. To our knowledge, we are the first to utilize empirical pair duration results to provide specific management recommendations for mate selection in an avian conservation breeding program. Our findings have critical utility for guiding ‘Alalā pairing decisions, and more broadly underscore the importance of evaluating mate retention and selection protocols in other conservation breeding programs.

The influence of feeding station location on the space use and behavior of reintroduced 'alalā: Causes and consequences

AbstractSupplemental feeding is a common soft‐release strategy for increasing settlement, survival, and breeding in animals after translocation. However, supplemental feeding can also hinder natural patterns of dispersal or influence social interactions. Some drawbacks of feeding can be mitigated if feeding stations can function as management tools for directing animals' movement, for example, by guiding them toward wild food resources or prospective territories while directing them away from potential threats, for example, predator hotspots or urban/agricultural centers. However, these effects may not work equally across individuals or habitat types. For species such as 'alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis), Hawaii's last living corvid, being able to manipulate space use via supplemental feeders could improve reintroduction outcomes. We determined if and how feeding stations influence a released population of 'alalā by strategically moving feeders across varying distances and habitat types, while measuring how quickly birds discovered new feeders and how their space use changed. We found that 'alalā discovered feeders more rapidly in closed as opposed to open canopy habitat, and feeder movement influenced how far 'alalā ranged, especially in afternoon periods. Sex, social network position, and individual home range size did not predict feeder discovery. These insights offer lessons for using supplemental feeding when managing reintroductions.

Reduction of genetic diversity in 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow; Corvus hawaiiensis) between the late 1800s and the late 1900s.

Genetic and genomic data are increasingly used to aid conservation management of endangered species by providing insights into evolutionary histories, factors associated with extinction risks, and potential for future adaptation. For the 'Alalā, or Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis), genetic concerns include negative correlations between inbreeding and hatching success. However, it is unclear if low genetic diversity and inbreeding depression are consequences of a historical population bottleneck, or if 'Alalā had historically low genetic diversity that predated human influence, perhaps as a result of earlier declines or founding events. In this study, we applied a hybridization-based sequence capture to generate a genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset for comparing historical specimens collected in the 1890s, when 'Alalā were more numerous, to samples taken between 1973 and 1998, when 'Alalā population densities were near the lowest documented levels in the wild, prior to all individuals being collected for captive rearing. We found low genome-wide diversity in both sample groups, however, the modern sample group (1973 to 1998 cohort) exhibited relatively fewer polymorphic alleles, a lower proportion of polymorphic loci, and lower observed heterozygosity, consistent with a population decline and potential bottleneck effects. These results combined with a current low population size highlight the importance of continued efforts by conservation managers to mitigate inbreeding and maintain founder representation to preserve what genetic diversity remains.

Adapting conservation breeding techniques using a data-driven approach to restore the 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow, Corvus hawaiiensis).

For some critically endangered species, conservation breeding is a vital steppingstone toward re-establishing wild populations. The 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow, Corvus hawaiiensis), currently extinct in the wild, exists today only in a conservation breeding program, which, for many years, utilized successful hands-on husbandry approaches such as separating and resocializing pairs, providing partially manmade nests, artificially incubating eggs, and puppet rearing nestlings. Yet, a top priority of any conservation breeding program is to retain natural behaviors essential to postrelease survival and reproduction, to achieve successful reintroduction and restoration to the wild. We describe how we are adapting 'Alalā husbandry techniques to strengthen pair bonds through full-time socialization, enable pairs to build robust nests, encourage females to incubate eggs to hatch, and provide pairs and their offspring with vital parental rearing experiences. We discuss the use of standardized, data-driven methods to objectively track our progress towards successful parental breeding and to select release candidates based on their likelihood to survive and breed in the wild. The information shared in this report can be applied to other conservation breeding programs, particularly those implementing or transitioning to husbandry techniques geared towards preparing species to thrive in the wild.

What do animals learn during anti-predator training? Testing for predator-specific learning in ‘alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis)

What do animals learn during anti-predator training? Testing for predator-specific learning in ‘alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis)

Muslim Intellectual Scholarship and Modern Nation States (A case Study of Syed Abul Ala Mawdudi’s Views)

Syed Abu al ala Maududi was a renowned Muslim scholar. He changed the political and religious trends in the sub-continent through his scholarly work. He took an active part in the freedom movement for a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent. Syed Maududi passed away in 1979 and was buried in Lahore. Syed Maududi has a different political his own political doctrine and a different political ideology. He started his political movement on his own logical agenda rather than adopting Sufism; though having deep insight into political affairs. In the 20th century, when the Nation-States came into being as the result of the New World Order after the 2nd world war and a couple of Muslim States appeared around the world globe. These states are based on the theory of nationalism, not Islamic Ideology. Syed Abu al ala Maududi keenly observed all these scenarios. He was a great critic of nationalism and considers it fatal and poisonous for a Muslim state. He considered it a great weakness for the Muslim states around the world and presented the Islamic political system in its true spirit.

Testing the maintenance of natural responses to survival-relevant calls in the conservation breeding population of a critically endangered corvid (Corvus hawaiiensis)

Testing the maintenance of natural responses to survival-relevant calls in the conservation breeding population of a critically endangered corvid (Corvus hawaiiensis)

Anti-Predator Vigilance as an Indicator of the Costs and Benefits of Supplemental Feeding in Newly Released ‘Alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis)

Although supplemental feeding is commonly used as a conservation strategy during animal translocations, it comes with a number of pros and cons which can be hard to quantify. Providing additional food resources may lead to improved physical health, survivorship, and reproduction. However, offering predictable food sources could make individuals more conspicuous to predators and less aware of their surroundings, disrupting their natural predator-prey dynamic. Decisions such as release cohort size and supplemental feeder design could influence the balance of these costs and benefits, depending on how animals behave in the face of predation risk and static food sources. Additionally, animals released to the wild from long term human care must balance foraging and predation risk while adjusting to a novel environment. To help conservation managers make informed decisions in light of these potential costs, we studied the behavior of a cohort of 11 conservation-bred ‘alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis) at supplemental feeding stations after release into the wild. Vigilance, foraging behavior and social group size was quantified via 1,320 trail camera videos of ‘alalā over the span of 12 months. We found that vigilance increased over time since release, suggesting that ‘alalā learn and adjust to their novel surroundings. Both vigilance and eating decreased with group size, indicating that although conspecifics may share the burden of scanning for threats, they also increase competition for food. We also found that the design of the feeder may have limited birds' abilities to express anti-predator behavior since less vigilance was observed in individuals that manipulated the feeder. Yet, birds may have been able to offset these costs since they increasingly scrounged for food scraps next to the feeder as time progressed. We discuss how changes to behavior over time, social interactions, and feeder design should all be considered when planning supplemental feeding as part of wildlife translocations.

Pre-release training, predator interactions and evidence for persistence of anti-predator behavior in reintroduced `alalā, Hawaiian crow

Animal translocations commonly fail due to predation after release, especially if animals are reared in human care, away from natural predation pressure. Anti-predator training can be a useful tool for combating the predator naivety of released animals, but its effective implementation requires attention to numerous details. We present the step-by-step development of an anti-predator training regime, tailored to the critically endangered `alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis). `Alalā are the last remaining corvid species of the Hawaiian islands, and historically the level of predation they experienced from the Hawaiian hawk, `io (Buteo solitarius) is unclear. However, one factor thought to compromise outcomes of earlier attempts to reintroduce `alalā in the 1990′s was predation by `io, motivating the development of anti-predator training for recent `alalā releases. We documented evidence for what appears to be competent anti-predator behavior in conservation-bred `alalā, with a range of behavioral strategies for coping with `io observed during a series of controlled presentations of `io and `io-related stimuli. These behavioral responses included vigilance, alarm calling, and mobbing during experimental trials conducted in release training aviaries. Our results did not conclusively establish that anti-predator learning occurred as a result of the training, or that the training produced enhanced survival. However, following release, `io-`alalā encounters were observed on more than 35 occasions, and `alalā responses mirrored those observed pre-release, including the first ever recorded mobbing interactions by juvenile flocks of `alalā in the wild. While it is unclear the extent to which training encouraged these species-appropriate anti-predator responses, their occurrence suggests that the `alalā has retained and can express defensive behavioral strategies. By documenting the design process, training execution and behavioral outcomes in `alalā, we highlight details that other reintroduction programs may need to consider when preparing animals for reintroduction alongside natural predators.

Automated telemetry reveals post-reintroduction exploratory behavior and movement patterns of an endangered corvid, ʻAlalā (Corvus hawaiiensis) in Hawaiʻi, USA

Continuous movement monitoring is a powerful tool for evaluating reintroduction techniques and assessing how well reintroduced animals are adjusting to the wild. However, to date, continuous monitoring has only occurred for large-bodied species capable of carrying heavy tracking devices. In this study we used an automated VHF radio telemetry array to investigate the exploratory behavior and movement patterns of critically endangered ʻAlalā (Corvus hawaiiensis), reintroduced to the Island of Hawaiʻi in 2017. The 11 juvenile ʻAlalā we tracked exhibited high site fidelity and initial survival. Over time the birds showed decreased time spent at the supplemental feeders, and transitioned to more focused use of the landscape, suggesting increased foraging on wild food items. Birds with seemingly less spatial neophobia at release also made larger post-release exploratory movements. This study provides the first evidence that 1) supplemental feeding can support site fidelity for reintroduced ʻAlalā without restricting a transition to independent foraging, and 2) that pre-release personality metrics may be useful predictors for predicting post-release movements of ʻAlalā. Our work is the first to demonstrate the utility and power of automated telemetry for monitoring the reintroduction of small species.

Moving from trends to benchmarks by using regression tree analysis to find inbreeding thresholds in a critically endangered bird.

Understanding how inbreeding affects endangered species in conservation breeding programs is essential for their recovery. The Hawaiian Crow ('Alalā) (Corvus hawaiiensis) is one of the world's most endangered birds. It went extinct in the wild in 2002, and, until recent release efforts starting in 2016, nearly all of the population remained under human care for conservation breeding. Using pedigree inbreeding coefficients (F), we evaluated the effects of inbreeding on Hawaiian Crow offspring survival and reproductive success. We used regression tree analysis to identify the level of inbreeding (i.e., inbreeding threshold) that explains a substantial decrease in 'Alalā offspring survival to recruitment. Similar to a previous study of inbreeding in 'Alalā, we found that inbreeding had a negative impact on offspring survival but that parental (vs. artificial) egg incubation improved offspring survival to recruitment. Furthermore, we found that inbreeding did not substantially affect offspring reproductive success, based on the assumption that offspring that survive to adulthood breed with distantly related mates. Our novel application of regression tree analysis showed that offspring with inbreeding levels exceeding F = 0.098 were 69% less likely to survive to recruitment than more outbred offspring, providing a specific threshold value for ongoing population management. Our results emphasize the importance of assessing inbreeding depression across all life history stages, confirm the importance of prioritizing parental over artificial egg incubation in avian conservation breeding programs, and demonstrate the utility of regression tree analysis as a tool for identifying inbreeding thresholds, if present, in any pedigree-managed population.

A genome-wide investigation of adaptive signatures in protein-coding genes related to tool behaviour in New Caledonian and Hawaiian crows.

Very few animals habitually manufacture and use tools. It has been suggested that advanced tool behaviour co-evolves with a suite of behavioural, morphological and life history traits. In fact, there are indications for such an adaptive complex in tool-using crows (genus Corvus species). Here, we sequenced the genomes of two habitually tool-using and ten non-tool-using crow species to search for genomic signatures associated with a tool-using lifestyle. Using comparative genomic and population genetic approaches, we screened for signals of selection in protein-coding genes in the tool-using New Caledonian and Hawaiian crows. While we detected signals of recent selection in New Caledonian crows near genes associated with bill morphology, our data indicate that genetic changes in these two lineages are surprisingly subtle, with little evidence at present for convergence. We explore the biological explanations for these findings, such as the relative roles of gene regulation and protein-coding changes, as well as the possibility that statistical power to detect selection in recently diverged lineages may have been insufficient. Our study contributes to a growing body of literature aiming to decipher the genetic basis of recently evolved complex behaviour.

Assessment of polyunsaturated fatty acids: A self-report and biomarker assessment with a racially and ethnically diverse sample of women

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play an important role in human health, influencing chronic disease and mortality. Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) are widely used to assess self-reported diet, but they can be subject to a variety of errors. Accordingly, an accurate assessment of diet is crucial in nutrition research. This study examined the association between a widely-used self-report measure of PUFAs (Diet History Questionnaire-II: DHQ-II) with the proportion of PUFA in red blood cell (RBC) membranes, and examined whether this relationship was moderated by race/ethnicity. In a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 132 female participants (Mage = 21.97±3.98, range 18 to 42 years), bivariate correlations and linear regression analyses demonstrated associations between DHQ-II and proportion of nutrients in RBCs for omega-3 fatty acids EPA (r = 0.39, ß = 0.38, p < .01), DHA (r = 0.48, ß = 0.47, p < .01), and EPA+DHA (r = 0.51, β = 0.49, p < .01). No associations were found for omega-3 fatty acid ALA or omega-6 fatty acids LA or ARA. DHQ-II and RBC associations for EPA, DHA, and EPA+DHA were moderated by race/ethnicity, controlling for age. Self-report of EPA was most consistent with RBC proportions for Caucasian individuals, and less consistent for Black/African American individuals. Self-reports of DHA and EPA+DHA were most consistent with RBC proportions for Caucasian individuals, and less consistent for Black/African American individuals and Hispanic/Latina individuals, although still statistically significant. No associations were detected for Hispanic/Latina individuals (for EPA only), Asian/Pacific Islanders or individuals of mixed/other descent. The present study found that when compared to PUFA biomarkers, the DHQ-II did not assess PUFAs consistently across all racial/ethnic groups in this sample of women. Further research is needed to determine what factors contribute to weak or lacking correlations between reported fat intake and corresponding values in RBCs, including but not limited to recall errors, underestimations of fatty acids in food composition databases, insufficient DHQ-II assessment of fatty acids in general and from particular cultures, and genetic differences in fat metabolism.

Spatial epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in sentinel feral chickens (Gallus gallus) in Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i

Toxoplasma gondii is a globally prevalent coccidian parasite that fatally infects a wide range of endangered avian and mammalian hosts in Hawai‘i including the Hawaiian Monk Seal (llio holo I ka uaua; Monachus schauinslandi), Hawaiian Goose (Nēnē; Branta sandvicensis) and Hawaiian Crow (‘Alalā; Corvus hawaiiensis). Thus, identifying environmental factors that predict or impact T. gondii exposure is important for mitigating disease risks. The island of Kaua‘i is a good model system to study spatial and environmental covariates of T. gondii prevalence due to (1) high landscape heterogeneity spanning a small geographical area, (2) the presence of an ideal sentinel species, the feral chicken (Gallus gallus), and (3) recent evidence that T. gondii contributes to local declines of Hawai‘i’s endemic bird and mammal species. Despite these compelling opportunities, little is known about the prevalence or distribution of T. gondii in Hawai‘i. In this study, 294 Kaua‘i feral chickens were tested for T. gondii using ELISA IgG immunoassays, of which 117 chickens (39.8%) tested seropositive – indicating infection with the parasite – and nearly every sampled site contained chickens with positive seroprevalence. Prevalence varied among the 34 sampled localities and was significantly, positively correlated with proximity to the coast. These findings reveal that T. gondii is prevalent across Kaua‘i. Furthermore, this variability offers insight to the factors that might predict T. gondii seropositivity across the landscape, and likewise predict exposure risks for endangered wildlife.

Inter-aviary distance and visual access influence conservation breeding outcomes in a territorial, endangered bird

Species extinctions are becoming a global crisis, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services, with island populations being particularly vulnerable. In response, conservation managers are increasingly turning to ex situ conservation breeding programs to establish assurance populations and provide a source for release and re-establishment of wild populations. The 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow, Corvus hawaiiensis) is a critically endangered and territorial island corvid that became extinct in the wild in 2002, following a severe and prolonged population decline during the late 20th century. Surviving individuals of the species were brought into captivity to establish an assurance population to serve as a source for reintroduction, which commenced in 2016. We analyzed the extent to which a range of captive housing conditions impact 'Alalā reproductive success, using 19 years of breeding program data. We found that reproductive success was most strongly affected by the distance between aviaries and their closest neighbors and whether breeding pairs had visual access to other adult conspecifics. Pairs located in aviaries that were more spatially isolated and without visual access to conspecifics were more likely to produce fertile eggs than pairs housed in aviaries that were closer to others or those with visual access to other birds. Our results have direct management implications relevant to the design of conservation breeding centers geared towards the recovery of endangered, territorial bird species. Moreover, since suboptimal housing conditions can increase stress levels in captive birds, our findings are also relevant to improving animal welfare for 'Alalā and other species in conservation breeding programs.

Age-related patterns of neophobia in an endangered island crow: implications for conservation and natural history

Theory suggests that the balance between unknown dangers and novel opportunities drives the evolution of species-level neophobia. Juveniles show lower neophobia than adults, within mammals and birds, presumably to help minimize the costs of avoiding beneficial novelty, and adults tend to be more neophobic, to reduce risks and focus on known stimuli. How these dynamics function in island species with fewer dangers from predators and toxic prey is not well understood. Yet, predicting neophobia levels at different age classes may be highly valuable in conservation contexts, such as species' translocation programmes, where responses to novelty can influence the effectiveness of prerelease training and animals' survival postrelease. To better understand how neophobia and its age-related patterns are expressed in an island corvid, we surveyed object neophobia in 84% of the world's critically endangered ‘alalā, Corvus hawaiiensis. Individuals repeatedly demonstrated high neophobia, suggesting that neither captivity nor their island evolution has erased this corvid-typical trait. Unexpectedly, juveniles were exceedingly more neophobic than adults, a pattern in stark contrast to common neophobia predictions and known mammalian and avian studies. We discuss the potential conservation ramifications of this age-structured result within the larger context of neophobia theory. Not only may the expression of neophobia be more complicated than previously thought but predicting such responses may also be important for conservation management that requires exposing animals to novelty.

α-Linolenic acid-enriched butter attenuated high fat diet-induced insulin resistance and inflammation by promoting bioconversion of n-3 PUFA and subsequent oxylipin formation

α-Linolenic acid (ALA) is an essential fatty acid and the precursor for long-chain n-3 PUFA. However, biosynthesis of n-3 PUFA is limited in a Western diet likely due to an overabundance of n-6 PUFA. We hypothesized that dietary reduction of n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio is sufficient to promote the biosynthesis of long-chain n-3 PUFA, leading to an attenuation of high fat (HF) diet-induced obesity and inflammation. C57BL/6 J mice were fed a HF diet from ALA-enriched butter (n3Bu, n-6/n-3=1) in comparison with isocaloric HF diets from either conventional butter lacking both ALA and LA (Bu, n-6/n-3=6), or margarine containing a similar amount of ALA and abundant LA (Ma, n-6/n-3=6). Targeted lipidomic analyses revealed that n3Bu feeding promoted the bioconversion of long-chain n-3 PUFA and their oxygenated metabolites (oxylipins) derived from ALA and EPA. The n3Bu supplementation attenuated hepatic TG accumulation and adipose tissue inflammation, resulting in improved insulin sensitivity. Decreased inflammation by n3Bu feeding was attributed to the suppression of NF-κB activation and M1 macrophage polarization. Collectively, our work suggests that dietary reduction of the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, as well as total n-3 PUFA consumed, is a crucial determinant that facilitates n-3 PUFA biosynthesis and subsequent lipidomic modifications, thereby conferring metabolic benefits against obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance.

A High-Quality, Long-Read De Novo Genome Assembly to Aid Conservation of Hawaii's Last Remaining Crow Species.

Genome-level data can provide researchers with unprecedented precision to examine the causes and genetic consequences of population declines, which can inform conservation management. Here, we present a high-quality, long-read, de novo genome assembly for one of the world’s most endangered bird species, the ʻAlalā (Corvus hawaiiensis; Hawaiian crow). As the only remaining native crow species in Hawaiʻi, the ʻAlalā survived solely in a captive-breeding program from 2002 until 2016, at which point a long-term reintroduction program was initiated. The high-quality genome assembly was generated to lay the foundation for both comparative genomics studies and the development of population-level genomic tools that will aid conservation and recovery efforts. We illustrate how the quality of this assembly places it amongst the very best avian genomes assembled to date, comparable to intensively studied model systems. We describe the genome architecture in terms of repetitive elements and runs of homozygosity, and we show that compared with more outbred species, the ʻAlalā genome is substantially more homozygous. We also provide annotations for a subset of immunity genes that are likely to be important in conservation management, and we discuss how this genome is currently being used as a roadmap for downstream conservation applications.