Palila (Loxioides Bailleui) 5-year review summary and evaluation

Author:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Title:

Palila (Loxioides Bailleui) 5-year review summary and evaluation

Year:

2009

Pages:

18

Subject:

Palila

Summary:

This review was conducted to determine if the Palila, (Hawaiian honeycreeper), should be downlisted from endangered to threatened. In order for this to occur, four criteria must be met as follows: 1) The palila must be found in two or more viable populations or metapopulations that represent the ecological, morphological, behavioral, and genetic diversity of the species; 2) quantitative surveys must show that the number of individuals in each isolated population or metapopulation has been stable or increasing for 15 consecutive years or demographic monitoring must show that each population or the metapopulation exhibits an average growth rate of not less than 1.0 over a period of at least 15 consecutive years; 3)that a sufficient recovery area is protected and managed to achieve the first two criteria; 4) That the threats that were responsible for the decline of the species have been identified and controlled. Since this criterion were not met and the numbers of palila have declined by at least 58 percent since 2003, the following recommendations were made: 1) to remove all mouflon sheep from the palila habitat; 2) repair the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve fence to prevent the ingress of sheep and other ungulates to the area; 3) implement fire risk reduction measures; 4) conduct road improvement where necessary; 5) construct helicopter water dip tanks to allow for a rapid and effective ground and aerial response to fire; 6) increase predator control efforts in all areas where palila breed; 7) restore and improve mamane trees vigor and density; 8) continue annual population surveys; 9) continue and enhance the captive propagation and release program for palila to bolster the small north slope palila population and conduct additional translocations of wild birds to this area.

URL:

https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/tess/species_nonpublish/1442.pdf

Date:

2009

Collection:

Monographs