![\"\"](\"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/kiwikiu-819x1024-1.jpg\")
<\/a>In October 2019, hoping to establish a new population on the island, the state translocated seven birds from the Hanawi Natural Area Reserve (NAR) and seven captive birds to the Nakula NAR. While they thrived initially, most of them quickly succumbed to avian malaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Nakula NAR was believed to be safe from the disease, but since the release, additional surveys indicate there had been a drastic increase in mosquitos. During the 2019 release, there could have been a seasonal spike in the population \u2013 either that, or the high infiltration is the new normal at Nakula, Berry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In any case, the kiwikiu are highly vulnerable in their current habitat. Research has shown that the \u201cmosquito zone\u201d moves seasonally, Berry said, adding that changes in precipitation patterns are \u201ccreating a climate more amenable to mosquitoes and avian malaria transmission. \u2026 The problem is getting steadily worse every year and we are running out of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the last few decades, kiwikiu have moved further upslope. \u201cWe\u2019re only finding them at the highest distributions now. \u2026 If we get these \u2018king tides\u2019 of mosquito influxes upslope, it doesn\u2019t take much to infiltrate the kiwikiu habitat,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A working group in 2020 found that the most important thing to do to prevent the species\u2019 extinction was to safeguard a portion of the population in captivity until a safe relocation site can be found. Right now, that doesn\u2019t exist on Maui, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the past, the San Diego Zoo has housed populations of the species, but it had limited success in captive breeding and now has no capacity for a new batch of kiwikiu, Berry said. The zoo already has its hands full caring for and rearing critically endangered \u02bbalala (Hawaiian crow) and Kaua\u02bbi \u02bbakikiki and \u02bbakeke\u02bbe (both honeycreepers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Removing 30 kiwikiu will mean the birds will go extinct in the wild sooner than estimated, by about three years, she said. \u201cBut at the same time, it would give us something we don\u2019t have: a safe population that will be protected from avian malaria. \u2026 We feel it would be worth the risk,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Aviary in Pennsylvania, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia, and the Tracy Aviary in Utah have all committed to taking the birds on. Right now, they have a combined capacity for 20 individuals. \u201cWe feel 20 individuals is not enough. We want to get at least 30 \u2014 15 breeding pairs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan will be to capture the birds, hold them for a very short time in Hawai\u02bbi, then transport them to the mainland zoos as quickly as possible, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the meantime, the state is exploring the possibility of eventually translocating the birds to Hawai\u02bbi island, which she said may have more disease-free habitat than Maui. \u201cWe don\u2019t know yet if this is a viable option,\u201d she said, noting that potential impacts the kiwikiu might have on Hawai\u02bbi island birds, and vice versa, need to be evaluated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another project critical to the long-term viability of the species is the development of landscape-scale mosquito control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without landscape-scale mosquito control, Berry said, \u201cwe are going to lose not just the kiwikiu, but many other Hawaiian bird species.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Efforts are already underway to introduce male Culex <\/em>mosquitoes that host a strain of the naturally occurring Wolbhchia bacteria that is different than the one found in Hawai\u02bbi. According to Berry, mating male and female mosquitoes must have matching strains of Wolbachia bacteria to produce viable eggs. If male Hawaiian mosquitoes with a unique strain can be reintroduced, they\u2019ll mate with wild females and will suppress the population, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is being used around the world to target human diseases and it is being used on the U.S. mainland. We completed the transfer of Hawai\u02bbi mosquitoes to the mainland,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She expects the DLNR will obtain a permit this year from the Hawai\u02bbi Department of Agriculture to import them back into Hawai\u02bbi. It will also apply for an emergency permit from the Environmental Protection Agency to do a pilot release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said if the state can get that emergency permit, a pilot release can happen next year. After further EPA approval of a biopesticide registration, a landscape-scale release could occur in 2024, according to her timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Birds in a Bucket<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour timeline for projected extinction and things that need to happen \u2026 It\u2019s too tight,\u201d board member Kaiwi Yoon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berry said the functional extinction predictions are just based on models. \u201cWe do believe we have time before then. There are still birds in the wild. We know that. We feel like we need to act as soon as possible to get enough birds into captivity to establish a big enough population in captivity we can use to save enough species in the wild,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yoon asked about the other bird species that are facing the same fate as the kiwikiu. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the kiwikiu. There\u2019s a bunch of birds in this bucket,\u201d Yoon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berry explained that the \u02bbakikiki and \u02bbakeke\u02bbe are in danger because they are found in a relatively low-elevation plateau on Kaua\u02bbi. \u201cIf we get that inundation of mosquitoes, they have nowhere to go,\u201d she said. She also said Maui\u2019s critically endangered \u02bbakohekohe (Crested honeycreeper) is also a species of concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are 40 \u02bbakikiki and about 7 \u02bbakeke\u02bbe in captivity. \u201cWe\u2019re looking for other options for akeke\u02bbe, including potential translocation [to other islands]. \u2026 Holding a captive population is not the solution,\u201d she said. She added that the captive \u02bbakikiki aren\u2019t breeding well, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Board member Jimmy Gomes asked how the mainland facilities will create an environment that the island birds can get acclimated to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berry said they can create controlled climates, but that providing access to the native Hawaiian foods the birds would get in the wild will be limited. \u201cThey\u2019ll do what they can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Board member Sam Gon asked how the \u02bbakohekohe would do in captivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berry replied that it doesn\u2019t do well. \u201cEven transporting the bird is risky. It\u2019s not a viable alternative. We are definitely concerned about that species, as well. \u2026 For that species we\u2019re looking at landscape-level mosquito control as the thing that turns that population around,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe landscape mosquito control is likely to be the big answer for all our forest birds,\u201d Gon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Board member Chris Yuen said there are no guarantees that the proposed plan will work, but the only alternative is to let the kiwikiu go extinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To ensure there is high-elevation habitat available that Hawaiian forest birds can migrate to as temperatures warm, Berry said, in addition to the slow natural forest line movement that will likely occur, the state is planting vegetation above the tree line at several locations around the state \u201cto get a head start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yoon asked what funding the state had for these initiatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n DOFAW administrator Dave Smith said the work depends heavily on federal funds. \u201cThis is not just our issue. It\u2019s a federal endangered species issue, as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are \u201ca whole bunch of irons in the fire\u201d to protect the birds, he said. \u201cWe hope we can cobble together the money and people can understand the dire situation they\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Case noted that the National Park Service is also very engaged in the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s really going to be a team effort to try to pull this off,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Teresa Dawson<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (This article has been amended to correct the spelling of Lainie Berry’s last name.<\/em>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “It is a very dire situation. We have some strategies, and we’re pursuing them as fast as possible on parallel tracks, but it’s a lot of fingers crossed right now,” Department of Land and Natural Resources director Suzanne Case told … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[482,13,11,26,15],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-13442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-april-2021","category-board-talk","category-climate-change","category-endangered-species","category-forests","tag-teresa-dawson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13442\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/a><\/a>