State officials are hopeful for the future of Hawaii’s forest birds, saying recent efforts to protect bird populations could help prevent the species from extinction. With license photo/DLNR
Proclaimed by Governor Josh Green in January 2024 “Makahiki o nā Manu Nahele: The Year of the Forest Birds.”
According to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, an estimated 47,000 people engaged in bird-related educational events throughout the year with the goal of raising awareness of Hawaiian forest birds and their plight.
But for the birds themselves, state officials say it was a complicated year filled with troubling declines and new hope.
The most critically endangered forest birds continued to experience declines. Kauaʻi’s ʻakikiki is now considered functionally extinct in the wild with five or fewer wild birds remaining.
The decline in wild populations of Kauai’s ʻanianiau and ʻakekeʻe and Maui’s kiwikiu’ spurred further collections of birds for captive breeding populations trying to prevent extinction.
On the island of Hawaii, the palila population has dwindled to about 500, largely driven by invasive predators such as cats, rats and mongooses.
2024 was also a year of inspiring endurance for forest birds. Five ʻalalā, or Hawaiian crows, have been released into the forests of Maui in recent weeks, marking a historic return to the wild after years of being found only in captive breeding centers.
On Kauai, one of the last remaining wild ʻakikiki, a female named Pakele, was seen with a potential mate named Liko. On Maui, a kiwikiu continues to be seen in the island’s forests years after scientists thought the bird had disappeared due to disease.
As these birds cling to existence, state officials are hopeful new developments in conservation tools will bode well for the future.
Conservation crews with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project spent 2024 working to reduce the number of mosquitoes in the forests, thereby reducing the threat of avian malaria.
The mosquito control effort will expand to Kauaʻi in 2025, and the hope is that it will happen in time to save Pakele, Liko and any offspring they may have.
The Birds, Not Mosquitoes partnership released a documentary in 2024 titled “Disappearing Voices,” which describes the threat of avian malaria and the hope presented by the new work. The documentary is now available at birdsnotmosquitoes.org.
Another sign of hope for forest birds is an increase in awareness among Hawaii residents. A pair of recent surveys by the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species and the American Bird Conservancy found that the percentage of Hawaii residents who could not name a Hawaiian forest bird dropped from 59% in 2017 to 24% in 2024.
As the Year of the Forest Bird wraps up, students from across Hawaii submitted video messages to the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife sharing how they learned about birds in their classrooms and why they hope these birds will continue to be a part of Hawaii for generations to come. .
These videos will be shared on Instagram by accounts from DOFAW and partners in the Year of the Forest Birds campaign, which include Kauaʻi and Maui Forest Bird Recovery Projects, Kamehameha Schools, Bishop Museum, Birds Not Mosquitoes, The American Bird Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy and Other.
