UH Hilo Center for Maunakea Stewardship - Research Library

Passerine bird trends at Hakalau forest national wildlife refuge, Hawaiʻi, technical report HCSU-011

Author:
Camp, Richard J., Gorresen, Marcos, Jeffrey, John J., Pratt, Thane K., Woodworth, Bethany L.
Title:
Passerine bird trends at Hakalau forest national wildlife refuge, Hawaiʻi, technical report HCSU-011
Periodical:
HCSU technical report
Year:
2009
Subject:
Birds conservation Birds habitat Hawaiʻi Island Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Summary:
Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, on the Island of Hawaiʻi, was established in 1985 to protect native forest birds, particularly endangered species. Management actions on the refuge include removing feral ungulates from the forest and pastures, controlling invasive alien plants, reforesting pastures, and supplementing endangered plant populations. To assess effects of this habitat improvement for birds, we tested for changes in bird density in three study areas: (1) a middle elevation forest that had been heavily grazed, (2) an upper elevation pasture that was reforested during the study, and (3) a lower area of relatively intact forest that was formerly lightly grazed. In the middle study area, we found that densities of Hawaiʻi ʻElepaio and the endangered ʻAkiapolaʻau and Hawaiʻi Creeper increased, and that all other native birds showed stable trends and exhibited no evidence of declining trends as has been seen elsewhere in much of Hawaiʻi. Trends for all alien birds were also stable, except that House Finch density has declined. In the lower study area, Hawaiʻi Creeper and Hawaiʻi ʻAkepa showed increasing trajectories, and densities have declined for the other native species. Within the reforested upper study area, densities increased for three common native species: Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihi, Iʻiwi, and ʻApapane - and two alien species - Japanese White-eye and House Finch.
URL:
https://hilo.hawaii.edu/hcsu/documents/tc11.pdf
Collection:
Monographs