Here's a pretty good article on the endemic birds of Kauai. You may know it's not a good situation, but information I don't usually see is the connection between climate change, disease and birds.
It was a pretty good article for just a travel writer spending a few days. He really captures the mixture of joy and sorrow I used to get hiking in the Kohalas, counting the number of endangered species I would see in a single day. Most people never see a single endangered species in the wild in their lifetime.
This isn't just a problem on Kaua'i; all of the large islands have issues with avian malaria creeping up the mountain, not to mention deforestation and other habitat loss plus competition and predation from introduced species.
On the bright side, it appears that some birds such as i'iwi and apapane are developing malaria resistance. My brother sees these birds in a small patch of native forest on his land right at sea level in Puna. Perhaps, if they are given some relief from the multitude of threats they face, in time they will evolve the traits they need to survive in their changed world.
Rare and getting rarer Kauai birds
Posted - 05/16/2011 : 09:18:51 AM
