Artificial intelligence being used as tool to protect Hawai‘i’s native birds

Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo are blending artificial intelligence and culture to help protect some of the state’s most precious native manu (birds).

According to a press release from the university, many of Hawaiʻi’s forest birds are facing extinction, and UH Hilo biology professor Patrick Hart is employing a mix of high-tech tools and Native Hawaiian traditions to support their remaining populations.

Hart’s research, funded by the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center, uses artificial intelligence to monitor bird populations in remote forests on Hawaiʻi Island. By placing acoustic recorders in the forest, Hart’s team captures massive amounts of bird sound to understand where different species are and how they’re doing. Birds use sound as a way to keep track of other birds.

“It is becoming increasingly important to develop landscape-scale management tools to help prevent the decline and extinction of Hawaiian birds,” said Hart, who founded UH Hilo’s Listening Observatory for Hawaiian Ecosystems or LOHE Lab, where data is analyzed. “But, in order for it to be effective, we need better info about how all of the different species are doing and exactly where they are.”

Hart worked with Google to develop the new algorithm, “Perch,” which uses artificial intelligence to recognize Hawaiian bird songs.

With this new technology, Perch can identify the unique sounds of Hawaiian birds with limited data, allowing Hart and his team to accurately estimate bird numbers across large areas.

“Hawaiian birds, in particular, are variable in what they say to each other, which is one reason why it has been so hard to train algorithms to automatically detect the songs and calls of these birds,” explained Hart.

In a parallel effort, Hart is collaborating with ʻĀhuimanu, a group dedicated to native bird conservation, to create a special oli (chant) that uplifts Hawaiian birds. The oli, led by cultural practitioner Kekuhi Kanahele Keali‘ikanaka‘oleohaililani, connects each bird to thriving elements in nature to promote balance and resilience.

“The mele recalls and reaffirms the relationships between ourselves, the birds, and the other aspects of the environment,” explained ʻĀhuimanu member Noah Gomes.

This year marks Makahiki O Nā Manu Nahele: Year of the Forest Birds. Of the 84 Hawaiian forest bird species known from observation and fossil records, 58 have vanished forever. Today, 24 of the remaining 26 species are endangered, with statuses ranging from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered.”

Four honeycreeper species—ʻakikiki, ʻakekeʻe, kiwikiu and ʻākohekohe—face a high risk of extinction within the next decade if significant conservation measures are not taken.