{"id":207325,"date":"2024-12-08T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T19:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=207325"},"modified":"2024-12-09T14:26:03","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T00:26:03","slug":"ai-hawaiian-chant-save-native-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/08\/ai-hawaiian-chant-save-native-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"东精影业<\/abbr> researchers use AI<\/abbr>, Hawaiian chant to save native birds"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"person
东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo students work check acoustic recorders in forest on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at Hilo are blending artificial intelligence (AI<\/abbr>) and culture to help protect some of the state\u2019s most precious native manu (birds). Many of Hawaiʻi\u2019s<\/span> forest birds are facing extinction, and 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo biology professor Patrick Hart is employing a mix of high-tech tools and Native Hawaiian traditions to support their remaining populations.<\/p>\n[vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/X-1Wr2QNFzo” el_aspect=”916″ align=”right” el_id=”wrap-video-right”]\n

Hart\u2019s research, funded by the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center<\/a>, uses AI<\/abbr> to monitor bird populations in remote forests on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island. By placing acoustic recorders in the forest, Hart\u2019s team captures massive amounts of bird sound to understand where different species are and how they\u2019re doing. Birds use sound as a way to keep track of other birds.<\/p>\n

“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 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s Listening Observatory for Hawaiian Ecosystems<\/a> 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.”<\/p>\n

New AI<\/abbr> algorithm<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

Oli composition<\/h2>\n
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ʻIʻiwi.<\/span> (Photo credit: Ann Tanimoto-Johnson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a parallel effort, Hart is collaborating with ʻĀhuimanu<\/span>, 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<\/span>, connects each bird to thriving elements in nature to promote balance and resilience.<\/p>\n

“The mele recalls and reaffirms the relationships between ourselves, the birds, and the other aspects of the environment,” explained ʻĀhuimanu<\/span> member Noah Gomes.<\/p>\n

Critically endangered<\/h2>\n
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ʻAmakihi.<\/span> (Photo credit: Ann Tanimoto-Johnson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2024 marks Makahiki O N\u0101 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,<\/span> ʻakekeʻe,<\/span> kiwikiu and ʻākohekohe<\/span>—face a high risk of extinction within the next decade if significant conservation measures are not taken.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo Professor Patrick Hart is turning to AI<\/abbr> to help rapidly analyze bird sound data to track Hawaiʻi\u2019s<\/span> native birds. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,12],"tags":[1602,254,665,14,56],"class_list":["post-207325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","category-video","tag-ai","tag-biology","tag-conservation","tag-uh-hilo","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207325"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":207329,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207325\/revisions\/207329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}