Pacific Birds and Hawaiʻi Audubon Society hosted a special event at the Ala Moana Center on November 7 as part of our Celebrate the ʻAlae ʻUla campaign. Also known as the Hawaiian common gallinule (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis), this endangered waterbird is endemic to Hawaiʻi but it has been lost from all of the islands except for Kauaʻi and Oʻahu. There are only 712 left in the world.
To raise awareness for the ʻalae ʻula and inspire action for Hawaiian waterbirds and wetlands, we took center stage at the Ala Moana Center last Saturday. Located in downtown Honolulu, this is the world’s largest open-air shopping mall. Our goal was to take as many photos of shoppers with our ʻalae ʻula mascot as possible. Once we have 712 photos, we will edit them into a composite image of an ʻalae ʻula to visualize just how rare this species is.
We captured over 200 photos, with 500 still left to take! Follow Pacific Birds and Hawaiʻi Audubon Society on social media to learn about other upcoming events where you can get your photo taken.
Ala Moana Center Event Recap
The event started with Keahi Renaud chanting the special ʻalae ʻula ʻoli he created for this campaign. Then, Helen Raine spoke about the ecological and cultural significance of the ʻalae ʻula and the multiple challenges the species faces. Wetlands and loʻi have been largely lost or degraded throughout Hawaiʻi due to agriculture, development, and invasive plants. Plus, threats from non-native predators like feral cats are not being adequately addressed. But we know what the ʻalae ʻula needs: revitalized wetlands, thriving loʻi kalo, and habitat that is safe from predators.
All afternoon, our life-sized ʻalae ʻula mascot walked around the Ala Moana Center, engaging with families and encouraging them to get their photo taken. Hawaiʻi Audubon Society had a booth at Center Stage taking photos and leading ʻalae ʻula-themed crafts. Everyone who got their photo taken received a goodie bag with more swag and activities.
Thank you to the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society employees and volunteers who dedicated their Saturday to making this fun event happen. We could not have done it without you. And thank you to everyone who got their photo taken! You helped let the world know just how much the ʻalae ʻula needs our help, and we can’t wait to unveil the final composite image.
About Our Campaign to Celebrate the ʻAlae ʻUla
Throughout 2026, Pacific Birds has worked with Hawaiʻi Audubon Society and over 20 other public, private, and non-profit partners on the Celebrate the ʻAlae ʻUla outreach campaign. Our goal is to raise the profile of this bird as an iconic species of Hawaiʻi, and to inspire people to take action to protect these waterbirds and the wetland habitats they depend upon.
Returning the ʻalae ʻula to a state of abundance will require public-private partnerships and community-based solutions. Pacific Birds is working with organizations and agencies across Hawaiʻi to communicate the need for high-quality and predator-free wetland habitat, and to catalyze the collaboration and cooperation needed to address these challenges. Eventually, we plan to reintroduce the ʻalae ʻula to a third Hawaiian Island.
