New study points to rodents as real forest bird threat

By Jessica Else The Garden Island | Sunday, July 1, 2018, 12:05 a.m.

HANAPEPE — Destroying the rats is the best way to protect one of Kauai’s critically endangered forest birds.

That’s according to a new study, released by researchers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project, which looked at different ways to manage the Puaiohi population.

The Puaiohi is a native thrush that scientists say is critical for maintaining healthy forests.

Rat control, even at more conservative levels, appeared to be the most effective method of increasing the abundance of the Puaiohi population, according to the study.

Managing other predators like feral cats, avian malaria and things like habitat degradation due to invasive species and livestock were also included in the study.

“This study shows that practical, attainable management activities can increase Puaiohi numbers and prevent the extinction of this unique endemic species,” said lead author Jean Fantle-Lepczyk.

Fantle-Lepczyk continued: “Because many of the issues facing Puaiohi are the same as those faced by the other Hawaiian forest birds, the recommended management activities could have a substantial and valuable positive impact on the other remaining endemic birds of the Alakai.”

The Puaiohi is one of the last six endemic forest bird species remaining in Kauai’s Alakai Wilderness. There are fewer than 500 Puaiohi left in the wild.

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Last of the puaiohi released

Posted: Tuesday, March 21, 2017 2:33 pm | Updated: 2:34 pm, Tue Mar 21, 2017.

LIHUE — Dozens of times, over the course of nearly two decades, staff from one of two bird conservation centers on Maui and Hawaii island boarded a Hawaiian Airlines plane with either a small wooden box or a large, six compartment crate.

For each trip to Kauai they were transporting captive raised puaiohi, 240 in all, to release them to the remote, rugged Alakai Plateau below Mt. Waialeale.

Monday, the two-compartment box carried onto the plane by an employee of the San Diego Zoo Global’s Maui Bird Conservation Center, got a lot of attention from passengers.

Is it a dog? Is it a cat? No, the worker explained, it is a puaiohi, one of a half dozen rare, endangered forest birds found only in the montane forests of Kauai.

San Diego Zoo Global’s Maui Bird Conservation Center officially ended its puaiohi captive breeding program a year ago, with the release of 15 birds.

On Monday, Jennifer Holler, research associate in recovery ecology, carried the final two puaiohi to Kauai to be released because they were underweight and not quite ready for release a year ago.

For Holler, it was a moment she won’t forget anytime soon.

“This is very exciting for me,” she said. “I started working with this species more than 10 years ago, and we all hope this final step in the recovery program means the puaiohi will continue to thrive in the wild.”

Dr. Lisa “Cali” Crampton, project leader for the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project, said the puaiohi captive-breeding program was continued for 18 years and initially had great success.

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Rare Hawaiian bird breeding program closes

15 puaiohi released on Kauai

An endangered puaiohi, seen here in this undated photo, into Alaka‘i Wilderness Preserve.

Posted: Saturday, April 2, 2016 12:30 am | Updated: 7:02 pm, Sat Apr 2, 2016.

The Garden Island 

LIHUE — Captive-reared puaiohi flew into the forests of Kauai Wednesday, marking the end of a successful breeding program for the species and beginning the next step in its recovery.

“This is a bittersweet moment for those of us who have been working with these birds on a daily basis,” said Bryce Masuda, Conservation Program Manager, San Diego Zoo Global. “We will miss seeing them every day but are delighted to be part of the collaborative effort to ensure this species survives into the future.”

In the late 1990s it was believed that there were fewer than 300 of this little Hawaiian bird left on Kauai. Eggs from the species were brought to the bird center so that a captive breeding population could be established.

With about 500 birds in the wild population today, the decision was made to close the captive breeding program to focus on other species in captivity. For puaiohi, the focus will be on addressing remaining threats in the wild, including introduced predators, and habitat loss from degradation and invasive weeds.

“Following the model used for the puaiohi, we are now working to build breeding populations for two other critically endangered Kauai species, the ‘akikiki and ‘akekee, while continuing to manage habitat and other threats for these three endangered birds, so that we can eventually release them back into the wild,” said John Vetter, wildlife biologist for Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

A total of 18 birds were released Wednesday, joining a population of puaiohi in the area. The KFBRP will monitor the birds, and continue to control introduced mammalian predators such as rats, which are a significant threat to puaiohi and other Hawaiian forest birds.

The continual removal of invasive species and protection of the forest by many agencies and organizations also give hope to the long-term recovery of puaiohi and other endemic forest birds on Kauai.

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