Draft revised recovery plan for Hawaiian forest birds

Author:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Region 1,

Title:

Draft revised recovery plan for Hawaiian forest birds

Year:

2003

Pages:

xviii, 428 p.

Subject:

Birds conservation Forest birds Rare birds Wildlife recovery

Summary:

This recovery plan covers 21 taxa of forest birds that occur in the main Hawaiian Islands: 19 are listed as endangered, 1 is a candidate species, and 1 is a species of concern. Ten of the listed taxa have not been observed reliably in more than 10 years and may be extinct, including the Maui nuku puu (Hemignathus lucidus affinis); Kauai nuku puu (Hemignathus lucidus hanapepe); Kauai akialoa (Hemignathus procerus); oo aa or Kauai oo (Moho braccatus); olomao or Molokai thrush (Myadestes lanaiensis rutha); kamao or large Kauai thrush (Myadestes myadestinus) kakawahie or Molokai creeper (Paroreomyza flammea); Oahu alauahio or Oahu creeper (Paroreomyza maculata); Maui akepa (Loxops coccineus ochraceus); and ou (Psittirostra psittacea). One species, the poouli (Melamprosops phaeosoma), is critically endangered with only three individuals known to exist despite intensive surveys. Two other listed species, the puaiohi or small Kauai thrush (Myadestes palmeri) and the Maui parrotbill (Pseudonestor xanthophrys), number approximately 300 and 500 individuals, respectively. Other listed species, including the akiapolaau (Hemignathus munroi); palila (Loxioides bailleui); akohekohe or crested honeycreeper (Palmeria dolei); Oahu elepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis ibidis); Hawaii akepa (Loxops coccineus coccineus); and Hawaii creeper (Oreomystis mana), have populations estimated between approximately 1,000 (akiapolaau) to 8,000 to 12,000 individuals (Hawaii akepa and Hawaii creeper). The species of concern included in this plan, the Bishop’s oo (Moho bishopi), has not been observed reliably since 1904 and probably is extinct. The candidate species, the akikiki or Kauai creeper (Oreomystis bairdi), has an estimated population of 2,000 to 3,000 individuals. Most of the species covered in this plan are now found only in upper elevation rain forests above 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai. Two exceptions are the Palila, which is limited to dry upland forests on Mauna Kea volcano on Hawaii, and the Oahu elepaio, which occurs at elevations as low as 100 meters (330 feet) in nonnative forests on Oahu. Subfossil records and observations by early naturalists in the Hawaiian Islands indicate that most of the species once had much larger distributions and occurred at lower elevations.

Collection:

Monographs