#ʻakikiki

Study: Nearly all forest birds can spread deadly avian malaria

Nearly every forest bird species in Hawaiʻi carries and transmits avian malaria, according to a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa study explaining why the disease persists wherever mosquitoes are found. The research, published Tuesday in Nature Communications, identified the parasite at 63 of 64 test sites across the state. The disease is the main reason native honeycreepers […]

UH: Researchers use AI, Hawaiian chant in effort to save native birds

This past year, Hart has worked with Google, to develop a new algorithm, “Perch,” designed specifically for recognizing Hawaiian bird songs. With this new technology Perch can identify the unique sounds of Hawaiian birds with limited data, allowing Hart and his team to accurately estimate bird numbers across large areas.  In a parallel effort, Hart is collaborating with ʻĀhuimanu, a group dedicated to native bird conservation, to create a special oli (chant) that uplifts Hawaiian birds.

Aerial larvicide applications underway in fight against avian malaria and in an ongoing effort to save honeycreepers from extinction

Conservationists on Kauaʻi have started aerial applications of the larvicide Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis or BTi, in an effort to suppress populations of the species of mosquito that carries avian malaria. Similar applications are scheduled to begin on Maui after the first of the year. It’s part of the broader effort to save near-extinct populations of honeycreepers like ʻakikiki in native forests.

Birds Not Mosquitoes documentary premieres on TV and screening events

Hawaiʻi’s remarkable forest birds and the incredible conservation efforts to save them through the Birds, Not Mosquitoes (BNM) partnership are featured in an upcoming documentary entitled, “Vanishing Voices: Saving Our Hawaiian Forest Birds.”  

Saying goodbye to the last ‘Akikiki in the wild; Field team has unique connection to near-extinct honeycreeper

When a group of men hiked into a remote mountain valley in April, they knew it could be the last time they saw an ‘akikiki in the wild, according to an update provided by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Annual blessing marks start of critical Kauaʻi forest bird field season

Of the eight remaining forest bird species on Kaua‘i, two face imminent extinction. The ‘akikiki and ‘akeke‘e, are threatened by mosquito-borne avian malaria.

Bird rescue team desperate to find two critically endangered ʻakikiki on Kaua’i

In the remote central mountains of Kauaʻi, a bird rescue team is searching for Abby and Carrot, two critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers, the ʻakikiki.