Conservation of Hawaii's vanishing avifauna

Author:

Scott, J. Michael, Kepler, Cameron B., Van Riper, Charles III., Fefer, Stewart I.

Title:

Conservation of Hawaii's vanishing avifauna

Periodical:

Bioscience

Year:

1988

Volume:

38

Pages:

238-253

Subject:

Hawaiian honeycreepers Birds conservation Avifauna Endangered species birds

Summary:

Of the thousands of islands in the world's oceans, the Hawaiian Islands makes adaptive radiation on the other islands pale in comparison. A excellent example of this is with regard to the Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanidinae) whose bright colors and exceptionally diverse bills provide an evolutionary exhibit for ornithologists around the world. The Hawaiian archipelago includes numerous islands that stretch for more than 2200 kilometers northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands. These northwestern islands have some of the largest, most diverse seabird colonies and the most fragile habitats in the world. Over the years, biologists have had an unparalleled interest in the biology of the islands, especially on the island of Hawaii, as extensive field studies by federal, state, and university researchers attempted to understand past distributions and present limiting factors of Hawaii's forest, sea, and water birds. As a result, this document describes how a detailed database that resulted from these studies contributed toward a renewed effort to save what remains of Hawaii's avian communities. Described is a plan and the methods that will be used to save the forest birds such as a variety of honeycreepers, the sea birds such as various species of albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, etc., and a variety of water birds such as the Hawaiian goose, the Hawaiian duck, the Laysan duck, as well as a variety of Rails, all of whom are considered endangered.

Label:

Ecology - Conservation

URL:

http://cletus.uhh.hawaii.edu:2075/stable/1310847

Collection:

Periodicals