Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program: Saving bird species at the edge of extinction
The Hawaiian Islands are home to bird species that are found nowhere else on the planet, exhibiting a staggering array of adaptations to their unique habitats. These natural treasures are integral elements of Hawaiian cultural heritage as well as the ecology of the islands. The jewels in the crown are the unique and diverse group of Hawaiian Honeycreepers (Drepanidinae).
Before the arrival of humans, endemic birds were abundant from the montane cloud forests to the rain forests by the sea. Unfortunately, many Hawaiian bird species are now critically endangered or already extinct. Of more than 140 native species and subspecies that were present prior to the colonization of the islands by humans, more than half have been lost to extinction. Among the remaining 71 endemic forms, 30 are federally listed as endangered, and fifteen of these are literally on the brink of extinction, numbering fewer than 500 individuals.
The causes of these declines are numerous and extensive, including habitat destruction and degradation, introduced predators and novel avian diseases. Captive management provides the opportunity for “species intensive care” – preventing extinction and promoting recovery. Yet captive management will only be a successful recovery technique if it is used within the context of a multi-faceted approach to conservation, which focuses on ecosystem restoration and the mitigation of the many threats to wild populations.
The Hawai`i Endangered Bird Conservation Program (HEBCP) is a unique collaboration between the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the U.S Geological Survey Biological Resources Discipline and private landowners (e.g. Kamehameha Schools). The HEBCP comprises two captive breeding facilities – the Keauhou and Maui Bird Conservation Centers (KBCC and MBCC) – and works at a number of field sites around Hawai`i.
Using intensive captive propagation and release techniques, the HEBCP aims to re-establish self-sustaining populations of critically endangered birds, or augment existing ones. A total of 874 birds have been successfully raised by the HEBCP since 1993.
The flagship of the Hawaiian forest is the `Alala (Hawaiian Crow), a species which has not been confirmed in the wild since 2002. The entire known population exists of 67 birds (February 2010), with 66 managed at either KBCC or MBCC, plus one at the Wild Animal Park’s Harter Veterinary Medical Center, receiving special treatment from the Division of Reproductive Physiology. The Alala is the primary focus of the HEBCP, with the goal of increasing the captive population and eventually re-establishing a population in wild, protected habitat.
The three other focal species for of the HEBCP are the Puaiohi (Small Kauai Thrush), Maui Parrotbill and Palila – all of which are critically endangered in the wild. Since 1999, 188 Puaiohi have been released back into the Alaka`i Wilderness Preserve on the island of Kaua`i. With the aim of establishing a second viable population of Palila, successful trial releases have been undertaken at Pu`u Mali on the northern slopes of the Mauna Kea, giving great hopes for future population recovery. The captive component of Maui Parrotbill recovery is still in its early stages. Additionally, more than 400 Nene (Hawaiian Goose) from the HEBCP’s two facilities have been released throughout the Hawaiian islands.
Finally, although neither KBCC or MBCC is open to the general public, more than 1,500 local school children and other special-interest groups visit the facilities, as part of the conservation education program.
