A recent sighting of the akiapolau in South Kona, Hawaii

Author:

Sakai, Howard F., Ralph, C. John

Title:

A recent sighting of the akiapolau in South Kona, Hawaii

Periodical:

Elepaio

Year:

1978

Volume:

39

Pages:

49-50

Subject:

Akiapolaau Birds populations Birds counting

Summary:

Throughout the period 1890 - 1978, the endangered Akiapolaau (Hemignathus wilsoni), were sighted on the western side of the island of Hawaii. From 1890-1899, Wilson and Evans found this bird to be very rare and were only able to obtain three specimens of this bird, that were obtained and Wilson, during a five-week stay in Kona. In 1903, Perkins stated that the Akiapolaau were numerous at the in the middle of the Kona district, (at elevations of 1000 m), among the forests of mixed koa, mamane and naio trees. In 1956, David H. Woodside reported an unpublished sighting of a bird north of Keanapaakai, near the upper edge of the Honaunau Forest Reserve, on Mauna Kea where he observed a bird, (at a distance of 15 m), identified as an Akiapolaau, actively pecking in a mature koa tree. Then, in the early 1970s, Van Riper reported two observations of this species on the western side of the island. One sighting that occurred in the Kohala Mountain is no longer considered valid. However, a second sighting was observed and photographed on August 11, 1971, approximately 1.5 mi SE of the Moanuia (Moanuiahea) Radio Relay Station on Mt. Hualalai in North Kona at the 1700 m elevation. In 1972, Berger reported that the only populations of the Akiapolaau were those sighted on the eastern and southern sides of the island of Hawaii. Then, on April 17, 1978, while searching for active Hawaiian Crow nests with Jon Griffin, a Hawaii State wildlife biologist, the senior author of this paper, Howard F. Sakai, sighted a juvenile bird with an adult Akiapolaau at approximately 2 km west of Hooper Camp, South Kona. Subsequent to the sighting done in 1978, it was learned that more individuals of this species had been seen in the South Kona area of the island of Hawaii. As a result, it is felt that the maintenance of several viable populations in different areas of the island of Hawaii will help assure survival of the species.

Label:

Birds - Akiapolaau

Date:

1978

Collection:

Periodicals