Hawaiian Monk Seal Support
The Hawaiian Monk Seal has been in existence for more than 13 million years, but in 1976 it was listed as an endangered species. Currently, a newborn monk seal has only a twenty percent chance of surviving to adulthood. With the Hawaiian Monk Seal population Read more
Hawaiian Honeycreeper Conservation 2
Probably sometime in the 1800’s, a mosquito-transmitted avian disease (avian pox virus) was introduced to the islands, and then in the early part of the 20th century avian malaria reached Hawaii. It is likely that avian malaria spread quickly into these native Hawaiian Honeycreepers (with no prior exposure or natural immunity to this disease) and hastened the decline or extinction of several species. Only in higher elevations where colder temperatures limit the spread of mosquitoes, do native forest bird communities remain relatively intact.
Scientists are attempting to unravel the complexities and impacts of the pox virus and avian malaria in native forest birds with the hope of developing long-term strategies for preventing further extinctions. Meanwhile, the ‘Amakihi, a native honeycreeper, is mysteriously re-populating the lowlands of Hawaii, providing hope for the future of other native birds in Hawaii.
In these two videos you will follow scientists as they learn how the endemic ‘Amakihi is bucking the extinction trend through evolution.
Part One – Hawaiian Honeycreeper Conservation 1
Hawaiian Honeycreeper Conservation 1
The evolution of Hawaiian honeycreepers is an outstanding example of how the Hawaiian islands became home to many species of unique life. About three million years ago, it is suspected a storm from North America led a small flock of finches to Hawaii. These new colonists touched down in a land with many different environments, many different types of food, and few competitors. They spread out over the islands and began evolving in different ways. Some developed long, curved bills to extract nectar from flowers, and others evolved short, stout bills for crushing hard seeds.
When Polynesians voyagers arrived millions of years later they found over fifty unique species and subspecies of honeycreepers – all descended from that one original group. Then in 1826, the first mosquitoes arrived in Hawaii aboard a whaling ship beginning the spread of avian malaria to native birds…
In these two videos you will follow scientists as they learn how the endemic ‘Amakihi is bucking the extinction trend through evolution.
Part Two – Hawaiian Honeycreeper Conservation 2
Mission Blue – Stephen Palumbi
Stephen Palumbi’s talk on the Mission Blue voyage can be summed up – If the Ocean ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. He shows us a tight and surprising link between the ocean’s health and ours. He shows us how toxins at the bottom of the ocean food chain find their way into our bodies. His work points a way forward for saving the health of the oceans and the health of humanity.
Stephen Palumbi received his Ph.D. from University of Washington in marine ecology, and is a professor of Biological Sciences at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station. He has contributed a wealth of scientific literature on issues such as the genetics, evolution, and conservation of sea urchins, whales, cone snails, corals, sharks, spiders, shrimps, bryozoans and butterfly fishes. A primary focus is the use of molecular genetic techniques in conservation, including the identification of whale and dolphin products available in commercial markets.
Hawaiian Birds – Amakihi Conservation
‘Amakihi originally occurred from sea level to uppermost forested regions on all major islands, but after the arrival of humans, the clearing of native forests, and the introduction of competitors, predators, and diseases, their occupied range decreased.
The Greater ‘Amakihi, which was found only on the Big Island, became extinct early in the twentieth century. The population of the Kaua‘i ‘Amakihi (Hemignatus kauaiensis) which originally occupied the entire island of Kaua‘i, was decreasing by the 1890s as low-elevation native forests were cleared, and exotic ungulates, predators, and avian diseases were introduced. But on a positive note, the population was estimated to be 10,750 in the 1970s and increasing to more than 15,000 by the 1980s.
Mosquito-borne avian diseases were believed to prevent most native bird species from permanently residing in native forests at low elevations on most islands. Additionally, the predation on eggs, nestlings, and adults by rats, feral cats, owls is a serious threat. Even though avian malaria and avian pox are known to cause direct mortality in Hawaiian honeycreepers, some populations appear to have developed a resistance to the malaria parasite, allowing them to survive at low elevations.
Hawaiian Birds – Amakihi Breeding
The ‘Amakihi is a Hawaiian honeycreeper found in native forests on the islands of Hawai‘i, Maui, Kaua‘i, and O‘ahu. Courtship behavior for pair bonds takes place during late winter and early spring with courtship displays, flitting, singing, chases, and courtship feeding.
Flitting displays begin with the male singing and flitting rapidly up and down in branches just below female. This is repeated 15 to 20 times in rapid succession. The male then flies to another tree… followed by female. Once pairs copulate, they select a nest site and begin nest-building. Their open-cupped nests are usually constructed in ‘ohi‘a trees with the female assuming a more active role, and the male territorially singing in trees adjacent to nest site.
The female solicits courtship feeding by depressing and fluttering wings and giving calls similar to those of begging fledglings. ‘Amakihi feed on predominately on nectar from the flowers of ‘ohi‘a with their fully tubular tongue and decurved bill adapted for taking nectar. They are also generalized foragers that glean arthropods, insects, grubs, caterpillars from the leaves, blossoms, twigs, branches, and trunks of a variety of trees, ferns, and shrubs.
A clutch is two or three eggs, with just the female incubating the eggs, and the male delivering food to the female who then feeds the nestlings. ‘Amakihi usually raise two broods in a season.
All ‘Amakihi have two songs – the primary song given by the male, and the second an extended subsong given by either sex. The primary male trill is used for advertisement, territorial claim, and mate defense, and sounds like a ‘chee’ or ‘twee’ uttered a number of times in rapid succession. The subsong is a complex, extended song composed of variations of rapid trills and warbles, frequently uttered softly.
Hear the ‘Amakihi (produced by SoundsHawaiian)
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