Celebrating our Hawaiian Honeycreepers
In May 2023, the Hawaiʻi State Senate passed a resolution that designates August 8th as Hawaiian Honeycreeper Celebration Day. The Hawaiian Honeycreeper is a subfamily of finches that made their way to the Hawaiian Islands 7.2 million years ago during the formation of Niʻihau and Kauaʻi islands. When Oʻahu began to form between 4 and 2.5 million years ago, the blank canvas of molten rock allowed these birds to explore and create major divergences in the Hawaiian Honeycreeper species. The subsequent evolutionary changes made all 50+ known species endemic to the Islands.
While Hawaiian Honeycreepers are all diverse, they do share some common characteristics: their similar size range (4-8 inches), brightly colored feathers, songs, and grassy nests tie the species’ together. Their bills create the largest diversity among the Honeycreepers. Each species has evolved a different beak to meet their foraging needs - long and thin bills for nectar feeders, short and hard bills for seed, fruit, and insect enjoyers, and a mix of the two to allow for both kinds of feeding. These birds are all an incredibly vital part of the natural environment as native plant pollinators and insect populations controllers.
These birds were once found mauka to makai, but now reside mainly in Hawaiian forests at high elevations. As humans and other plants and animals (including mosquitos) came to the Hawaiian Islands, their survival has come into question. There are now only 17 species of Hawaiian Honeycreepers left, and they are in grave danger of becoming fully extinct. Habitat destruction due to human expansion and development is one of the main reasons these birds are no longer seen. Mosquitos carrying deadly avian malaria, can kill a Hawaiian Honeycreeper in just one bite.
According to the State of Hawaiʻi’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) , the remaining Hawaiian Honeycreeper species are the Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, and Kauaʻi ʻElepaio, the Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, and Kauaʻi ʻAmakihi, ʻAnianiau, ʻAkekeʻe, Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa, ʻAkikiki, ʻAlawī, Maui ʻAlauahio, ʻAkiapōlāʻau, ʻApapane, ʻIʻiwi, Palila, Kiwikiu, and ʻĀkohekohe. Some species have populations on multiple islands, while some are only seen on one island. The ʻAkikiki is found only on Kauaʻi, with DLNR estimating only 5 birds left of the species, leaving their chances of survival slim.
How can we help protect the Hawaiian Honeycreeper family from going extinct?
Habitat restoration, fighting mosquitoes, and addressing the climate crisis are all ways we can stop this extinction.
Efforts to protect Native Hawaiian Forests (like Kūkūau Community Forest in Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island and the Kona Cloud Forest in Kona, Hawaiʻi Island) protect native wildlife that the Hawaiian Honeycreepers rely on for food and shelter. Limiting development that removes habitat protects the trees and bushes that they build their shelter in. The flowers, fruits, and seeds that grow on the plants provide food. The roots of these plants keep the soil strong, the leaves keep the forest ground shaded and cool. The rain water supplies the forest with water without flooding and drowning the plants and animals that live there.
Reducing mosquito populations allows for Hawaiian Honeycreepers to return to lower elevations with less of a threat of death. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in places where water collects and stagnates - like rain gutters, outdoor furniture and equipment, fountains, and more. Ensuring your outdoor areas are free of standing water helps diminish the mosquito population and protect our native birds. There are also certain plants that mosquitoes are not fans of that can be used to deter them away from your yard, thus reducing their breeding ground. Basil, lemongrass, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, and citronella are some of the plants you can have in your yard to deter mosquitoes. This could also bring pollinators and insects that prey on mosquitoes and their larvae to your backyard, as a bonus.
As the climate crisis continues and the atmosphere gradually warms, mosquitos will expand into higher elevations, leaving native species nowhere to escape to. Advocating for climate justice and climate action can help reverse the global heating we are now experiencing. Supporting organizations that plant native wildlife, shopping locally, and reducing emissions are great ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
Individual action is important, but the responsibility also falls on our State and Federal Representatives. Use your vote to support political candidates who recognize the importance of our native flora and fauna and promote including the prevention of avian malaria suppression in State and County budgets to protect our native Hawaiian Honeycreepers from extinction.
