One of last Hawaiian honeycreepers of its kind from Kauaʻi dies on Maui, DLNR says

One of the last remaining Hawaiian ‘akikiki birds endemic to Kauaʻi died recently on Maui, according to a joint statement Tuesday by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. 

The bird, named Carrot, was likely killed by a common pathogen or fungal infection, the news release said.  

Carrot was brought Sept. 2 to the Maui Bird Conservation Center managed by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. 

The decision to bring the bird into human care was a “last-resort measure due to the species’ imminent extinction in the wild,” the release said. 

Carrot was believed to be one of the only remaining ‘akikiki in the Halehaha region on Kauaʻi. The bird is a small pale gray and white honeycreeper that dates back to 1887.

Species reintroductions are incredibly difficult and always fraught with setbacks, the statement added. 

“Though we are saddened by this loss, it highlights one of the many challenges we face with species recovery efforts,” it said. “We remain undaunted and continue making plans for bringing ‘akikiki and their eggs into a breeding facility with the hope of raising a large enough population to reintroduce birds back into their native habitats, once malaria is under control.”