Two More Unique Hawaiian Bird Species On Brink Of Extinction - ENS

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WASHINGTON, DC, October 15, 2007 (ENS) - A national bird protection group and a Hawaiian bird expert are petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend protection to two increasingly rare birds found only on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. Population surveys conducted this spring show that these species may be on the brink of extinction. The two birds - the akikiki and the akeke'e - are not adequately protected by existing regulatory mechanisms, the petitioners say.

The American Bird Conservancy and Dr. Eric VanderWerf submitted a petition Thursday requesting protection under the Endangered Species Act for the akeke'e and the akikiki, two Hawaiian honeycreepers. After many years as bird recovery coordinator with the Service in Hawaii, Dr. VanderWerf now has his own consulting firm. He is still engaged in keeping the unique birds of Hawaii from vanishing into extinction.

He says more research is needed to determine why populations of the akikiki and the akeke'e a have been in steep decline since 1970, although other Hawaiian birds are known to have gone extinct due to a combination of habitat loss and degradation caused by invasive alien plants and browsing and rooting by feral pigs, diseases spread by introduced mosquitoes, predation by alien mammals such as rats, and catastrophes such as hurricanes.

"Recent surveys show that the akikiki and the akeke'e are in serious trouble," said George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy. "The strongest available measures such as captive-breeding, fencing out and removal of invasive species, and listing under the Endangered Species Act, are all necessary to prevent these species from going extinct."

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http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2007/2007-10-15-097.asp