Hawaiian Birds and Elepaio Conservation

The kinds of predators the ‘Elepaio faces are the Hawaiian Short-eared Owl (Pueo), Hawaiian Hawk (‘Io) found only on the Big Island, Barn Owl (introduced), feral cat, mongoose (not on Kauai), and rats. ‘Elepaio are more vulnerable to feral cats and mongoose because adults sometimes forage on the ground, and fledglings sometimes leave the nest when they are barely able to fly and spend much of first day on the ground.

Avian malaria and pox virus are also serious threats to native Hawaiian forest birds, including the ‘Elepaio. Feral pigs create cavities and wallows, which provide breeding habitats for mosquitoes, which in turn transmit malaria and pox. Mosquitos are more prevalent at lower elevations in late summer and fall, and birds weakened by pox virus then become more vulnerable to exposure and predation.

The loss of forest habitat to urbanization, agriculture, and logging has left fewer forest habitats at lower elevations, and decreased their overall range. ‘Elepaio can adapt to certain types of altered and introduced forests, from dense rain forest to dry woodland, but their population has still dropped from many areas where they were common a few decades ago. The prospects for long-term survival of the ‘Elepaio appear to be fairly good on the islands of Hawai‘i and Kaua‘i, but the O‘ahu subspecies is being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act, and conservation measures are urgently needed.