The endangered bird that guides souls to the afterlife
And cайн уу from Ulaanbaatar as I embark on the first FUZZ Field Trip
While I'm reporting from Mongolia's frozen steppes for the next 10 days, I want to make sure I don’t give short shrift to other fascinating stories from the world of conservation. Like this one from Hawaii, where scientists are attempting something remarkable: saving a species that's both a master tool-user and, according to Hawaiian belief, the sacred guardian that guides souls to the afterlife.
The 'alalā, or Hawaiian crow, is the world's most endangered corvid. These highly intelligent birds vanished from the wild in 2002, victims of invasive predators (rats and cats) and habitat loss. But they're far more than just another endangered species – in Hawaiian tradition, they're psychopomps, essential spirit guides that lead souls to Ka Lae, the "Leaping Place" where the deceased begin their journey to the next world. Without an 'alalā to guide them, souls are believed to lose their way, condemned to drift eternally through a twilight realm of ghosts. As the species has vanished from the wild, so too then has this ancient bridge between worlds.
But there’s hope. Late last year, a team of scientists and conservationists opened the doors of a temporary aviary in Maui's Kīpahulu Forest Reserve, releasing five young 'alalā into the wild. It's a bold experiment: previous attempts to reintroduce these birds on Hawaii Island failed when they fell prey to Hawaiian hawks. This time, they've chosen Maui specifically because it lacks these predators, and equipped each bird with GPS backpacks to track their progress.
What makes this release particularly fascinating is that these birds, raised entirely in captivity, carry an inherited gift: they're natural tool users, fashioning and wielding sticks to extract insects from dead wood. Even 'alalā who've never seen another bird use tools eventually figure it out on their own – a rare ability shared by only a handful of bird species worldwide.
The stakes couldn't be higher. If these five pioneers can't establish themselves in the wild, we risk losing not just one of the world's most intelligent birds, but a sacred guardian whose absence leaves Hawaiian souls without their traditional guide to the afterlife. For now, five young 'alalā are exploring their ancestral home on Maui, carrying both GPS backpacks and the weight of centuries of Hawaiian spiritual tradition on their wings.
FUZZ Field Trip — Cайн уу from Ulaanbaatar!
My 4AM departure this morning from Seoul ended at the gleaming new Chinggis Khaan International Airport, where I met Aagi, who'll be our guide and driver into the steppe for the next 10 days.
Aagi embodies modern Mongolia in the best way possible. A former schoolteacher turned wilderness guide, he splits his time between leading expeditions during peak season and selling Chinese espresso machines when winter drives the tourists away. He’ll switch fluidly between his three plus languages (Mongolian, Russian, English, and as he slyly put it, "un poco de español").
After dropping me at my hotel, he headed off to pick up a Valentine's Day cake for his wife. Romance finds a way even in the world's most frigid capital city — there’s Valentine’s stuff everywhere here. Tomorrow, scientist Vadim Kirilyuk arrives from Turkey, and then we're off to the steppe.
Quick Links! 🔗
The Great Backyard Bird Count kicks off this Valentine's Day. From February 14-17, bird lovers worldwide are asked to spend just 15 minutes watching and reporting the birds they see, creating a real-time snapshot of global bird populations before spring migration. Started by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and now in its 27th year, this citizen science project is perfect for everyone from total beginners (there's a free app to help identify birds) to experienced birders. Whether you watch from your window or join a community event, every observation helps scientists track and protect our feathered friends.
The Revelator just published the list of species we lost in 2024, including Europe's first documented mainland bird extinction, the slender-billed curlew, and the first U.S. plant extinction directly tied to sea-level rise, the Key Largo tree cactus. The challenge in even making a list like this is that, as John R. Platt writes, most species slip away unseen: "The last days of the last members of a species are rarely observed by human eyes. They occur in the cracks beyond our perception, out of sight, the disappearance of a shadow or a sunbeam, here and then gone."
Scientists just discovered that birds-of-paradise can glow in the dark. New research from the American Museum of Natural History found that 37 of 45 species show biofluorescence, meaning parts of their bodies absorb UV light and emit it at lower frequencies, creating an otherworldly glow. While males likely use this hidden light show during courtship displays (think: glowing mouth patches during mating dances), females may use their fluorescent feathers for camouflage. "Even a charismatic group like the birds-of-paradise, that have been studied extensively, can still offer new insights," lead researcher Dr. Rene Martin told The Guardian.
We’re live with our first YouTube FUZZ File, recounting some of the challenges around big cats and bird flue. Watch it here, and thanks to subscriber K for pioneering the edit and graphics treatments. My on-camera performance will get better, I promise. Subscribe to FUZZ on YouTube for more.
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Thanks for reading.
— Dan Fletcher