So far, ‘Alohi, meaning splendor, shine and brilliant, is one of the leading names in the 2018 ‘Alala Naming Contest that the state launched online on Monday to name the 12 endangered, native crows scheduled to be released later this year.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said the names were proposed by fifth-graders from Connections Public Charter School in Hilo. The fifth-grade class has been studying the behavior and biology of the alala, Hawaii’s last remaining native crow species, for two years, and drew them as part of an assignment to come up with Hawaiian names for the 12 birds.

Voting is available to the public on The ‘Alala Project’s Facebook page and Instagram feed.

Other proposed names include Kala‘au, in reference to stick-dancing and how the birds use sticks to help find food, Kaleo, meaning voice, and Ulu, which means to grow, increase or spread. Online votes were launched on Sunday and are open until Saturday.

Last year, the state conducted two releases of the birds into the state’s Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve, where 11 are now thriving. Their only natural predator is the endangered io, or Hawaiian hawk. Conservation efforts for the alala have been underway since 2002, when the last pair was observed in the wild, and then became extinct.

This month, the students will also visit the San Diego Zoo Global’s Keauhou Bird Conservation Center on Hawaii island, where more than 125 alala are housed for conservation breeding.

The fifth-graders’ teacher, Kate Wines said: “These students are very engaged with the alala, which is a wonderful learning experience now and for the future as they will help lead the way, if not as conservationists, but as citizens who have the fate and well-being of all creatures at heart.”