More Hawaiian Birds About to be Extinct

More Hawaiian Birds About to be Extinct



October 2007

 A national bird protection group 
and a Hawaiian bird expert are petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service to extend protection to two increasingly rare birds found only on 
the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. 
Population surveys conducted this spring show that these species may be on 
the brink of extinction. The two birds - the akikiki and the akeke'e - are 
not adequately protected by existing regulatory mechanisms, the 
petitioners say. 
The American Bird Conservancy and Dr. Eric VanderWerf submitted a petition 
Thursday requesting protection under the Endangered Species Act for the 
akeke'e and the akikiki, two Hawaiian honeycreepers.

After many years as bird recovery coordinator with the Service in Hawaii, 
Dr. VanderWerf now has his own consulting firm. He is still engaged in 
keeping the unique birds of Hawaii from vanishing into extinction. 
He says more research is needed to determine why populations of the 
akikiki and the akeke'e a have been in steep decline since 1970, although 
other Hawaiian birds are known to have gone extinct due to a combination 
of habitat loss and degradation caused by invasive alien plants and 
browsing and rooting by feral pigs, diseases spread by introduced 
mosquitoes, predation by alien mammals such as rats, and catastrophes such 
as hurricanes. 
"Recent surveys show that the akikiki and the akeke'e are in serious 
trouble," said George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy. 
"The strongest available measures such as captive-breeding, fencing out 
and removal of invasive species, and listing under the Endangered Species 
Act, are all necessary to prevent these species from going extinct." 
The current population of the akikiki could be as few as 782 birds, based 
on surveys conducted in April and May. The population has steadily 
declined from around 7,000 birds in 1970 to this year’s all time low. The 
geographic range occupied by the akikiki declined from 34 square miles in 
1970 to 14 square miles in 2000, and may have continued to decline since 
then. 

The current population of the akeke'e is estimated to be as low as 2,506 
birds, based on the April and May surveys. The population has declined 
from around 8,000 birds in 2000. 
The geographic range occupied by the akeke'e was also 34 square kilometers 
in 1970, and although this was reported not to have changed in 2000, 
surveys in 2007 failed to find the species in many areas where it was 
previously observed. 
This would indicate that there has been a range contraction, the bird 
scientists say, though the extent is not known at this time. 
The threat from mosquito-borne diseases may worsen as global warming 
allows mosquitoes to invade the highest, coldest parts of the island that 
once provided refuge from disease, the bird experts warn. 
The akikiki is categorized as Critically Endangered by the IUCN-World 
Conservation Union due to its extremely small and declining population and 
geographic range. 
The akeke'e is categorized as Endangered by the IUCN due to its small and 
declining geographic range and declines in habitat quality. 
Hawaii leads the U.S. in the total number of endangered and threatened 
species with 329, and in extinctions - with over 1,000 plants and animals 
having disappeared since human colonization. 
When Captain Cook landed on the islands in 1778, there were at least 71 
endemic bird species. Since then, 26 of those species have gone extinct, 
and 32 more are now listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened 
or endangered. 
Several Hawaiian bird species, the Po'ouli and the Ou are assumed to have 
recently gone extinct before captive-breeding or other protection measures 
could be implemented. 

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