The Kauai ʻōʻō was driven to
extinction due to the presence of invasive species and habitat destruction
but for other native forest birds conservation efforts can help.
The Hawaiian Islands are a unique
and wondrous hotspot of biodiversity, but due to the introduction of
invasive predators and habitat destruction, many of these birds have been
driven to extinction. The Kauai ʻōʻō is a prime example; the small black
and yellow bird once thrived from the shores of Kauai up to through the rugged
mountains but the bird was last seen in 1985 and potentially last heard in
1987. Dr. Jim Jacobi recounts his experience of seeing the last remaining ʻōʻō
on a trip in 1984 as he says:
It was a beautiful day as I
recall. We started off from this camp and it takes about an hour to go from
where we were camped to down to the stream. We stopped there and started to
listen.”
As they listened and recorded the
sounds of the forest, the ʻōʻō called and flew onto a nearby branch. When
the ʻōʻō flew away, Dr. Jacobi replayed the sound and suddenly the bird
returned. He soon realized the bird was responding to a call he had not heard
in a long time.
Today, the Kauai ʻōʻō is
extinct but other native forest birds such as the I’iwi are still around, but face the threats of invasive
species and climate change. Luckily, conservationists are dedicated to ensuring a thriving future for these rare birds.
Conservationists are hopeful that by working to remove invasive species and use
captive breeding programs to bolster populations they can help these forest
birds fill the forests once again. The ʻōʻō serves as a reminder to strive
to prevent extinctions of these endemic birds.
Experience that day in 1984
through this virtual reality video and maneuver through the sights and sounds
of the forest using the controls in the upper left-hand corner.
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