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'Akikiki
PC: Justin Hite
Nā Manu Nahele
The Native Forest Birds
Hawaiʻi is internationally renowned for the incredible and unique species found only here, including native forest birds like the endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers. The Hawaiian honeycreepers are small native forest birds in the finch family. They coevolved with native Hawaiian plants and are integral in maintaining the health of native Hawaiian forests. Some honeycreepers help pollinate, while others eat grubs and insects from tree bark.
The Hawaiian honeycreepers are considered to be one of the most diverse groups of birds in the world. Historically, more than 50 different species of honeycreepers lived in Hawaiʻi – filling the forests, from mountains to sea, with their songs. But only 17 species remain today, 15 throughout the main Hawaiian islands.
The remaining Hawaiian honeycreepers’ populations have been declining due to habitat loss, increased predation by non-native species, and the effects of avian diseases spread by invasive mosquitoes. Habitat loss and degradation have been caused by human activities (e.g., agricultural conversion, water diversion, urban/suburban growth) and invasive species (e.g., weeds, pigs, goats, and mosquitoes).
Why are mosquitoes so deadly to our honeycreepers?
Avian malaria and avian pox (responsible for the lesions on this bird's feet) are both mosquito-borne diseases that have decimated honeycreeper populations.
Mosquitoes were introduced to Hawaiʻi in the early 1800s and began to spread avian diseases in the early 1900s. Avian malaria, now the biggest threat to the Hawaiian honeycreepers, is a blood-borne parasite passed to birds through mosquito bites. The Hawaiian honeycreepers evolved without exposure to avian diseases, so the birds have little to no natural resistance. This leaves the birds incredibly vulnerable to the effects of avian malaria and pox. For many honeycreepers, a single bite from a mosquito infected with avian malaria could be fatal.
But the spread of avian diseases began in the early 1900s; why are the effects worsening?
Until recent history, honeycreepers were relatively safe from mosquitoes because of physical separation. Mosquitoes live in warm areas which usually occur at low elevations. Honeycreepers live in high-elevation forests where temperatures are usually too cool for mosquitoes. But the effects of climate change are increasing the temperatures in high-elevation forests, making them a more habitable area for mosquitoes. This is directly increasing the transmission of avian diseases like avian malaria.
Without intervention, this disease will directly cause the extinction of some species of Hawaiian honeycreepers.
"I want these birds to be here for our children."
Hanna Mounce, Program Manager, Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project
"Before we were working on recovery. But now we need to prevent extinction."
Lisa 'Cali' Crampton,
Project Leader, Kaua'i Forest Bird Recovery Project
ʻAkiapōlāʻau
PC: Bryan Shirota