The future of the critically endangered `Alala (Corvus hawaiiensis ), with only seven individuals remaining in the wild, is wholly dependent upon the reproductive success of its captive population. Throughout the 1999 breeding season, behavioral observations were carried out on eight pairs of captive-reared Hawaiian crows. Due to the limited size of the captive population, and to avoid inbreeding, birds were paired based on their genetic profiles. As a result, there were differences in age and breeding experience within pairs. There were also differences in rearing conditions between mates. It has been suggested that social play and other affiliative behaviors may be important in young birds to form normal social bonds later in life. Affiliative behavior, such as allopreening and feeding other, was common among social-reared crows, but was virtually absent in isolate-reared individuals. Conversely, isolate-reared crows displayed various forms of aberrant behavior, including inappropriate play and self-mutilation, significantly more than the social-reared individuals. Since such behaviors occurred in the nest area throughout all phases of the breeding season, namely nest-building, egg-laying and incubation, it would appear as if early rearing condition plays a role in future reproductive success.

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