The Maui Parrotbill is in danger of going extinct at Haleakalā National Park/NPS

Climate change and an avian disease seem to be pushing two bird species endemic to Haleakalā National Park towards extinction, and they could just be the first of many songbird species in Hawaii to fall to that combination, according to biologists.

A recent forest inventory tallied 312 kiwikiu, or Maui parrotbill, and fewer than 2,411 'ākohekohe, or crested honeycreeper. That represents a 50 percent decline in the parrotbills, and a greater than 50 percent decline in the honeycreepers over the past two or three decades.

These two native endangered species are endemic to Maui Island and are only found within the surveyed area in East Maui.

“The most recent Maui endemic forest bird to go extinct was the po‘ouli [(black-faced honeycreeper, Melamprosops phaeosoma)] in 2004, and based on the findings from this survey, we are worried the kiwikiu is next," said Seth Judge, a USGS wildlife research specialist and landbird monitoring coordinator with the University of Hawaiʻi.

The simultaneous decline of kiwikiu, ‘ākohekohe, and another endemic forest bird, the Maui ʻālauahio, over several decades are due to disease, depredation, and degradation of habitat, a park release said. Introduced avian malaria is clearly the most significant long-term threat. Malaria continues to spread upward in elevation due to climate change and over time may lead to dramatic declines or the extinction of most native Hawaiian songbird species.

“Without intervention, these changes are projected to cause population declines and additional extinctions of the remaining Hawaiian forest birds,” said Dr. Hanna Mounce of the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project.

The crested honeycreeper also could go extinct/NPS

Dr. Mounce emphasized, “It is urgent that we move forward with the recovery efforts for these species. If we wait for much longer, we will not have these species left to save.”

The findings in the report provide an update of forest bird population estimates, trends within Haleakalā National Park and reserves managed by the Hawai‘i Department of Forestry and Wildlife, and suggested management actions to benefit the native bird species on Maui.

“Action will need to be taken along with the support of the community and all our partners to save these Hawaiian forest birds,” said Haleakalā Superintendent Natalie Gates. “Landscape control of avian malaria, control of non-native predators, and habitat restoration are all needed. Currently we are exploring projects to control avian malaria in hopes of giving these unique and spectacular species a better chance of survival.”

The Maui Forest Bird Working Group is currently planning to reintroduce kiwikiu in attempt to increase both the range and abundance of the species to the Leeward Region of Maui, starting with Nakula Natural Area Reserve this fall. Since 2013, more than 200,000 native plants have been planted in the Nakula Forest Reserve and Kahikinui Forest Reserve in preparation for the reintroduction.

The surveys conducted in this report were the largest and most comprehensive interagency effort to research East Maui native forest birds since 1980. The research in the report was conducted by the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Pacific Island Network, Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, State of Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and the U.S. Geological Survey, along with many partners, consisted of a broad-scale landbird survey on East Maui Island, including portions of Haleakalā National Park.