`Alala Hekili shows his peers how weighing is done.
Keeping a close eye on the health of the birds is very important to us here at the Maui Bird Conservation Center. One valuable way we determine the health and body condition of a bird is through obtaining regular weights. (See also Zoo Hospital: What Do You Weigh?) Traditionally, we would weigh birds by catching them in a net, then transferring them to a box or a bag that could then be placed on a scale. This method required the time of multiple husbandry staff at once and subjected the birds to a certain amount of stress. Stress in birds can be dangerous, and we obviously like to keep our birds as stress-free as possible. Our solution was to convince our `alala to offer us their weight by landing on a freestanding platform that had been placed on a scale. This is called a “remote weight.”
2011 `alala chicks are already at ease with the process.
By using positive reinforcement, the birds of our `alala flock have been conditioned to perch on a freestanding platform that holds their food pans. When individuals are fed on these platforms consistently, it adds little to no stress to move that platform onto a scale to obtain a weight. With this procedure, one staff member can obtain the weights of many birds in one day, with the birds typically unaware of what is taking place!
Laha finds a loophole in the weigh-in process when he uses a stick and some gymnastics to retrieve some apple from the far side of the freestanding food platform.
The younger `alala from 2010 and 2011 have become experts at retrieving rewards from the platforms and have served as good examples for other birds to watch the process. Not everyone is easily convinced, however, and some of our `alala have proven a challenge. It seems as though some of our smarter adults are also rather stubborn, and the conditioning process has developed their crafty side! One of our mature males, Laha, seems determined to prevent us from weighing him and goes to great lengths in order to obtain treats while breaking the rules.
Michelle Smith is a research associate at the Maui Bird Conservation Center, part of San Diego Zoo Global’s Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program. Read her previous post, New Homes for the Growing Flock.
thanks michelle for an interesting article! it sounds like these birds are pretty smart. I thought it was kind of funny the way some of the more mature birds find ways to get what they want by breaking the rules! ( sounds like kids! lol ) I have been a bird lover and have had alot of birds myself over the years. it just amazes me how smart & inventive they are! if you really pay attention and watch them, you find out just how much as you already know! keep us posted!
Clever keepers, always trying to out-think stubborn and ingenious animals. LOL.
Patient keepers, also, watching for a solitary bird to step up, cringing at the group feed-in.
Question: is the food pan part of the scale? If so, how do you get an accurate weight for the bird since the food is gradually reduced as the birds eat it up.
Thank you for the great blog. Gotta love these birds.
Thank you both for your comments!
I am amazed almost every day how these birds can outsmart us. To answer Mae’s question, the food pan is a separate container that can be removed and changed out each day. The food pan and the platform then sit on the scale and can be tared off, so when the bird lands to eat, the only change in weight is the mass of the bird.
Problems arise when they drop something on the ground, or if they plain won’t hold still!
Even with any frustration involved, this is an example of when being outsmarted can be a joy! I love watching them think of new ways to aquire rewards.
Michelle
Hello!
I wonder if anyone there could update us on how many of last year’s young ‘alala have made it this far and where the total ‘alala population now stands. We are all waiting eagerly for the this year’s nesting season to begin!
Hi, Michael
Last season we hatched 20 `alala chicks. All 19 of the hand-reared chicks were successfully raised to independence. The 20th chick was hatched under a foster female as the first attempt at raising a parent-reared `alala in many years. Sadly, this chick died on day 4. The 19 remaining youngsters are all currently healthy and divided into 3 rambunctious groups.
So as a review of 2011, here is a very brief population summary:
Population on 31Dec2010: 77 birds.
One adult male died on 1Jan2011, just short of his 30th birthday. (We believe this is the longevity record for the species).
Breeding season: Hatched 20; raised 19. (1 neonate mortality mentioned above)
Population on 31Dec2011: 95 birds.
So over the course of the year, the `alala population rose by more than 23%. Another record breeding season and a tremendous year for `alala recovery. Keeping fingers crossed for another great year in 2012!
Very best,
Rich Switzer, Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program Manager
That’s really great news, Richard. Congratulations to all the folks who have contributed to this remarkable success.
It must be hatching time again for ‘alala. Can you please update us on what the breeding success is so far this year. If it is anything like last year’s it will be welcome news indeed.
Moderator’s note: Look for a new ‘alala post this coming week. It’s been a great season so far!