F22AP03444

Hawai'i's honeycreepers are facing an urgent crisis, with four species projected to become extinct in the next decade. These species include the Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi) and Akeke'e (Loxops caeruleirostris) on Kaua'i Island, and the Kiwikiu (Pseudonestor xanthophrys) and Akohekohe (Palmeria dolei) on Maui Island.

The most immediate and dramatic cause of honeycreeper population decline is avian malaria, spread by non-native mosquitoes. As global climate change increases temperatures and alters rainfall patterns, the mosquito disease zone is expanding upward in elevation. This expansion increases the transmission risk to the remaining bird species and potentially causing another wave of extinctions.

To counter their imminent extinction, a partnership between federal and state agencies was formed with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) to establish breeding centers on the islands of Maui and Hawai'i. These efforts have had some success in the care, maintenance, and breeding of these honeycreepers. However, they have not yet established sufficient reproduction to realize the growth rates needed to capture the species' full genetic diversity and support robust programs to re-establish these species in the wild.

In addition, many of the remaining individuals in the wild will need to be rescued and brought into these conservation breeding centers where they can survive and contribute to the recovery of the species. These efforts to establish captive honeycreeper populations in breeding facilities are the last best hope to avoid extinction and buy time for the establishment of successful landscape-level mosquito control in the wild.

To address the urgent need for honeycreeper conservation, funds from the bipartisan infrastructure law will be applied to a major expansion at the Maui Bird Conservation Center, managed by SDZWA in partnership with state and federal wildlife agencies. The bird population held there has already reached capacity, and quality space is needed to support the rescue and breeding of endangered honeycreepers.

Our project will first conduct planning, design, and permitting activities for the expansion of the facility to house a maximal number of honeycreepers in aviaries designed to promote breeding and general well-being. The number of aviaries necessary will be coordinated with state and federal agencies responsible for deciding how many honeycreepers to bring into captivity.

Next, the project will clear land adjacent to SDZWA's existing facility and construct these new aviaries in the footprint of the cleared area. Aviaries will be designed with the birds' behavior and biology in mind and will draw from basic avicultural bird breeding principles that have been successful elsewhere. Aviaries will be densely packed with vegetation to mimic the habitats these forest birds occupy.

Furthermore, native plant restoration in the areas surrounding these aviaries will provide visual and acoustic barriers for birds residing in different areas, so that birds will not be overstimulated and to avoid the perception of crowding. Restored native vegetation will provide birds with an environment that more closely matches what they would experience in the wild.

These funds will also be used to construct a fence surrounding the facility for security and to exclude non-native deer that would destroy the restored vegetation. Finally, funds will be used to construct an insect propagation center, where staff can breed a diverse array of native insects and tailor diets to the needs of individual species.

Hawaii Department Of Land And Natural Resources

15.657 - Endangered Species Recovery Implementation

Fish and Wildlife Service Region 1: Pacific [DOI - FWS]

Hawaii United States

State-Wide

F-FWS-ES-22-180

Infrastructure $5,000,000 (100%) percent this Project Grant was funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Act.