#Hawaiian Forest Birds

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 […]

The pilot project that released five ʻalalā (Hawaiian crows) into the forests of Maui in November of 2024 is taking steps to expand the flock. Two ʻalalā, a male and female, were recently translocated to the field aviary where the first five birds got their start more than a year ago.

“Seeing students share their voices to talk about the importance of native birds in Hawaiʻi is so inspiring,” said Dr. Josh Atwood, Information and Education Specialist for DOFAW. “They did a lot of research to produce these videos. You get the sense from these videos that even if they haven’t seen these birds in person, the students take pride in them as part of what makes these islands special.”

Kaua‘i Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami, on Thursday, presented a mayoral proclamation to the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project and partners, to mark 2024 Makahiki O Nā Manu Nahele, Year of the Forest Birds. This echoes the statewide proclamation from Gov. Josh Green, M.D. on Jan. 12.

Nearly $16 million has been allocated to the Hawaiian Forest Bird Conservation Keystone Initiative, aimed at protecting the distinctive bird species of the Hawaiian Islands and addressing urgent challenges such as habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, and disease.

“Four Hawaiian honeycreepers are at risk of extinction within the next ten years: akikiki ~1 year; kiwikiu ~6 years; akekee ~8 years; and akohekohe ~10 years. If we lose these special birds, we also lose the essential roles they perform within the native ecosystem and a piece of Hawaiian culture. Unless we take significant action now, they will be gone forever.”

The Kona Soil and Water Conservation District and seven partners were awarded $2,028,572 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to boost biodiversity and support wildlife habitat for a variety of Hawaiian forest birds, including the ʻakiapōlāʻau, Hawaiʻi ʻākepa and Hawaiʻi creeper. The forest restoration efforts resulting from this project, titled “Innovation in Kona’s Upland Forests,” are estimated to sequester 30,000 tons of carbon over 20 years.