Blending AI and culture: UH Hilo researchers use modern and ancient practices to save native birds

UH Hilo Professor of Biology Patrick Hart is employing a mix of high-tech tools and Native Hawaiian traditions to support endangered native birds.

At left, red ʻakepa bird in lehua tree. At right, Prof. Pat Hart is pictured.
Red ʻakepa bird in lehua tree and Prof. Patrick Hart. (Photos: Melissa McMasters/Wikimedia; Kirsten Aoyagi/UH Hilo Stories)

LOHE Lab logo. Listening Observatory for Hawaiian Ecosystems. LOHE Bioaccoustics Lab University of Hawaii at Hilo. Images of a red bird and black whale.Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo are blending artificial intelligence (AI) and culture to help protect some of the state’s most precious native manu (birds). Many of Hawaiʻi’s forest birds are facing extinction, and UH Hilo Professor of Biology 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 AI 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,” says 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.”

New AI algorithm

This past year, Hart has worked with Google, to develop a new algorithm, “Perch,” designed specifically for recognizing 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,” explains Hart.

Researcher in cap checks acoustics device mounted to tree in the forest.
UH Hilo student checks acoustic recorders in forest on Hawaiʻi Island. (Courtesy photo: LOHE Lab/UH Hilo)

Oli composition

Red and black bird with long curved beak.
ʻIʻiwi. (Photo credit: Ann Tanimoto-Johnson)

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 Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani, 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,” explains ʻĀhuimanu member Noah Gomes.

Critically endangered

Light green bird drinking nectar from blossom.
ʻAmakihi. (Photo credit: Ann Tanimoto-Johnson)

2024 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.

UH System News

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