‘Critically endangered’ bird found living in Hawaii volcano
A bird recently believed to be dead has sparked hope that it is more adaptable than once thought, after being found alive in Hawaii.
A kiwikiu was found on a nature reserve on the island of Maui by a researcher after it was thought to have died. It was introduced to the area during an attempt to save it from extinction.
Kiwikius, otherwise known as Maui parrotbills, are listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Commission as ‘critically endangered’. The Maui Forest Bird Commission state they used to be found all over the island and in nearby Moloka’i. However, their populations dwindled thanks to humans and other predators, such as wild pigs, wildcats and diseases from mosquitoes.
The lone bird was discovered by researcher Zach Pezzillo. He recognised its song while he was out on the reserve, which is located on Haleakala volcano slopes.
“I first heard what I thought might be a distant kiwikiu song,” he said in a statement. “It then sang about 10 times across a gulch in some koa trees. It dropped down into some kolea trees where it spent the next twenty minutes calling and actively foraging through the berries, bark and leaves.”
The bird is believed to be one of seven kiwikius placed on the the Nakula Natural Area Reserve back in 2019. Five of them died after an outbreak of avian malaria, which was transmitted by a mosquito. The other two went missing, and were assumed to be dead. They were put there to encourage their population to grow as researchers estimate they are only 150 left in the wild.
“This bird has been exposed to disease, as the others were, and has somehow persevered,” said Hanna Moucne from the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project. “This is an amazing sign of hope for the species as we still may have time to save them ... this is a hopeful sign that a population of kiwikiu and other native forest birds could survive in restored landscapes in the future, especially without mosquitoes and disease.”
According to the American Bird Conservancy, the increased presence of mosquitoes are believed to be exacerbated by the climate crisis. This is due to the increasing temperatures allowing the insect to thrive in the habitats of forest birds.
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