Akialoa stejnegeri (Kaui 'Akialoa)

[another specialist]

KAUAI 'AKIALOA

Justification

Kauai 'Akialoa Akialoa stejnegeri was found in montane koa-'ohi'a forest on Kauai, Hawai'i, USA. It is considered extinct due to habitat destruction and disease. It survived for the longest of any of the 'akialoas, in Kauai's Alaka'i Wilderness Preserve, but has not been recorded since 1969. Taxonomy The nomenclatural and taxonomic history of the 'akialoas is complicated. From being traditionally considered a single species, 'Akialoa Hemignathus obscurus, all four taxa are now considered good species. Hemignathus procerus is a synonym.

www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=40120

[another specialist]

www.50birds.com/Gend6.htm

[another specialist]

DESCRIPTION
The Kaua`i `akialoa is a large (17 to 19 centimeters (6.7 to 7.5 inches)
total length) short-tailed Hawaiian honeycreeper with a very long, thin decurved
bill, the longest bill of any historically known Hawaiian passerine. Both sexes are
olive-green; males are more brightly colored, slightly larger, and have a
somewhat longer bill. The species was originally described by Gray in 1859, and
has a long history of nomenclatural change (Olson and James 1995).
LIFE HISTORY
The life history of the Kaua`i `akialoa is poorly known, mainly from
observations at the end of the 19th century (Wilson and Evans 1890 to 1899,
Rothschild 1893 to 1900, Perkins 1903). The species used its long bill to probe
for arthropods in bark crevices, decaying wood, epiphytes, and debris
accumulated in the treetops. It also took nectar from `ôhi`a and lobelia flowers.
Nothing was ever discovered about its nesting biology. The song was described
as either a thin trill or canary-like, and the call as being louder and deeper than
that of the Kaua`i `Amakihi (Hemignathus stejnegeri).
HABITAT DESCRIPTION
The species was widespread on Kaua`i and occupied all forest types above
200 meters (660 feet) elevation (Perkins 1903).
HISTORICAL AND CURRENT RANGE AND STATUS
The historical range included nearly all forests on Kaua`i visited by
naturalists at the end of the 19th century (Figure 19). After a hiatus of many
decades, the species was seen again in the late 1960’s, and one specimen was
collected. It has not been seen since, despite efforts by ornithologists (Conant et
al. 1998), birders, and six intensive surveys by wildlife biologists in 1968 to
1973, 1981, 1989, 1994, and 2000 (Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural
Resources 1995, Reynolds and Snetsinger 2001). The Kaua`i `akialoa is probably
extinct.
REASONS FOR DECLINE AND CURRENT THREATS
The Kaua`i `akialoa vanished before anything could be learned of its
plight. Presumably it succumbed to the same causes responsible for the decline
and extinction of other forest birds on Kaua`i: introduced avian diseases
transmitted by mosquitoes, depredation of adults and nests by rats, and habitat
destruction by feral ungulates. Perkins (1903) noted that it was "grievously
75
affected by… swellings on the legs and feet, as well as on the head at the base of
bill, and on the skin around the eyes," which probably were caused by pox. Avian
pox lesions also are present on many old specimens (J. Lepson and E.
VanderWerf unpubl. data).
CONSERVATION EFFORTS
The Kaua`i `akialoa was federally listed as endangered on March 11,
1967 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1967), became protected under the State
of Hawai`i endangered species law on March 22, 1982, and was included in
the Kaua`i Forest Birds Recovery Plan (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1983b).
No conservation efforts have been initiated specifically for the Kaua`i
`Akialoa, but if the species still exists it could benefit from habit protection
(see puaiohi species account). The Forest Reserve Act of 1903 was an
important action that protected watersheds in Hawai`i, and it was strengthened
and re-titled Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources Title 13,
Chapter 104, Rules Regulating Activities Within Forest Reserves, which
protects native forest values from certain degrading factors caused by human
activities. The Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources
established the 4,022 hectares (9,938 acres) Alaka`i Wilderness Preserve in
1964 (Administrative Rule No. 1, Chapter 3), recognizing the value of the
pristine forest of that area and the need to control potential degrading factors.
RECOVERY STRATEGY
See the Rare Bird Discovery Protocol in Section III. D.

ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plans/2003/031016.pdf

[Melanie]

sebbe67 said:

Hemignathus procerus

Early in this century, the Kauai akialoa was considered extinct. In 1965, it was rediscovered, but none has been seen now for 30 years, and it is once again believed to be extinct.

[another specialist]

elibrary.unm.edu/sora/om/om046.pdf.

[another specialist]

www.foxhillantiques.com/hawaiienses.htm

[another specialist]

www.sil.si.edu/digitalcollections/nhrarebooks/rothschild/CF/description-search-results-all.cfm

[Deleted]

Kaua'i 'Akialoa
(Hemignathus (Akialoa) stejnegeri)

male in the middle, female below, juvenal abobve



scanned from H. Douglas Pratt: 'The Hawaiian Honeycreepers, Drepanidinae

[another specialist]

www.camacdonald.com/birding/ZINDEX-A.html

[another specialist]

Hawaiian honeycreepers, famous as an example of adaptive radiation on islands, include species that converge in their appearance and way of life on more familiar birds from continents. While some honeycreepers retain an ancestral finchlike form and life history, others resemble and behave like sunbirds, warblers, or nuthatches. In contrast to this convergence, evolution has drawn a few honeycreepers out on novel pathways. What more bizarre evolutionary tangents could one imagine than the ‘Akiapölä‘au and Nukupu‘u? In the absence of woodpeckers, these birds capture invertebrates living in bark or wood, but their tools and methods are entirely different. No other birds have, in a sense, evolved two bills in one. The long upper mandible curves downward like a black wiry hook, whereas the short, robust lower mandible juts forward as a sharp-pointed awl. The lower mandible is more or less straight in the ‘Akiapölä‘au, but curves with the upper mandible in the Nukupu‘u.

Equipped with such tools, the tree-dwelling ‘Akiapölä‘au sets out foraging. Hitching its way along branches and twigs, the bird tests bark and epiphytes, pausing inquisitively to tap with the awl or probe with the hook. Once it detects a hiding caterpillar or spider, the bird goes to work excitedly. Noisily pounding and yanking, the ‘Akiapölä‘au excavates the substrate in pursuit of its retreating quarry. Ultimately the prey is cornered, hooked out into the open, and flogged against the bird’s perch before being gulped down.

Perhaps their peculiar bills are unsuited to taking nectar, but whatever the reason, ‘Akiapölä‘au and Nukupu‘u usually ignore flowers. ‘Akiapölä‘au do drink sap from the small, shallow wells they drill in live bark. A bird selects a few individual trees for drilling and visits each repeatedly, so that eventually a large surface of the tree’s bark becomes peppered with holes. Drinking sap does not come easily for an ‘Akiapölä‘au, however, and requires the bird to tilt its head upward so that the fluid runs down inside the mandible guided by a short, fringed tongue. This recently discovered behavior resembles sap-sucking by woodpeckers.

The bill of a young ‘Akiapölä‘au seems to take many months to grow and harden, and during this time the juvenile remains with its parents. Protected on the family’s large territory, the young bird slowly learns foraging skills. Generally only one young fledges, the sole offspring raised by its parents that year.

The ‘Akiapölä‘au survives as an endangered species on its home island of Hawai‘i. Restricted to remnant forest above 1,500 m elevation, the total population numbers about 1,000 birds. Because the species prefers foraging on koa (Acacia koa), but nests almost exclusively in the crowns of ‘öhi‘a-lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), the best habitat includes both tree species. Factors limiting its population and distribution include mosquito-borne diseases and the loss and fragmentation of habitat. Depredation by feral cats (Felis catus) and rats (Rattus spp.) and depletion of its arthropod prey base by imported predatory and parasitic insects are likely threats.

The Nukupu‘u inhabited forests on three islands—Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Maui—and each island supported its own subspecies. The island forms are so distinct that the Nukupu‘u may eventually be split into three species. A recent review of all Nukupu‘u records from the twentieth century revealed that this bird is probably extinct. On a more optimistic note, concern for the ‘Akiapölä‘au has resulted in habitat protection and restoration in key parts of its range. With expanded management as a metapopulation, the ‘Akiapölä‘au can be spared the fate of its less fortunate sister species.

“Of all the native Drepanid birds none are more interesting in their habits than the species of Heterorhynchus ” (Perkins 1903: 427). These admiring words, written a hundred years ago by the person most familiar with ‘Akiapölä‘au and Nukupu‘u (then known under genus Heterorhynchus), still ring true today. Yet despite the charm and novelty of these birds, we know surprisingly little about them. Nineteenth-century naturalists described their distributions and habits at a time when both species were much more numerous. Since then the Nukupu‘u has disappeared. Occasional reports from the twentieth century vary in reliability, some being misidentifications, and none has shed new light on this mysterious species (Pratt and Pyle 2000). Consequently, for information on Nukupu‘u we must depend on eyewitness reports prior to 1900 and on about 100 study skins distributed among museums worldwide. In this account, the three Nukupu‘u taxa—Kaua‘i Nukupu‘u (Hemignathus l. hanapepe), O‘ahu Nukupu‘u (H. l. lucidus), and Maui Nukupu‘u (H. l. affinis)—are treated separately to document comparisions among them (see Systematics: geographic variation; subspecies, below). Recent information on ‘Akiapölä‘au is cited from the little existing published research and gleaned from data contributed by numerous field biologists. It includes a three-year, weekend study of a now-extinct, color-banded population at Kanakaleonui on Mauna Kea (1989–1992; TKP and P. Chang). This fascinating species has yet to be the focus of intensive field research.

bna.birds.cornell.edu/

[surroundx]

Olson, Storrs L. and James, Helen F. (1995). Nomenclature of the Hawaiian Akialoas and Nukupuus (Aves: Drepanidini). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 108(3): 373-387.

[Sebbe]

Revise species limits in three extinct complexes of Hawaiian honeycreepers

checklist.aou.org/nacc/proposals/PDF/2015-B.pdf

[argentavis]

Kauai Akialoa in the collection of MSU Zoological museum. Photo by me.
A very robust honeycreeper with amazing elongated beak. Lost some toes due to inaccurate dismantling of exposition where it was once.

[Sebbe]

Extinct and endangered (‘E&E’) birds in the ornithological collection of the Museum of Zoology of Torino University, Italy.

KAUAI AKIALOA Akialoa stejnegeri
Hemignathus stejnegeri S. B. Wilson, 1889

MZUT AV11657; mount; adult male; USA, Hawaii, Kaua'i Island, 1900; collected by R. C. L. Perkins.

Remarks.—In the MZUT manuscript catalogue, AV11657 is named Hemignathus procerus. According to Olson & James (1995) the name Hemignathus stejnegeri S. B. Wilson, 1889, has priority over H. procerus Cabanis, 1890; the dating of Wilson's work (1889) is confirmed by Evenhuis (2003) and Dickinson (2011). However, in Dickinson & Christidis (2014) the description of stejnegeri is dated as 1890. The Torino museum was not listed among those institutions that possess specimens of the species (Hume & Walters 2012).

bioone.org/journals/Bulletin-of-the-British-Ornithologists-Club/volume-139/issue-1/bboc.v139i1.2019.a2/Extinct-and-endangered-EE-birds-in-the-ornithological-collection-of/10.25226/bboc.v139i1.2019.a2.full#bibr28

[Sebbe]

Removal of 21 Species From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

A comprehensive survey of Hawaiian forest birds was initiated in the 1970s using the VCP method (Scott et al. 1986, entire). Please refer to the ‘‘Summary of Comments and Recommendations’’ for a description of the VCP method. VCP surveys have been the primary method used to count birds in Hawaii; however, it is not appropriate for all species and provides poor estimates for extremely rare birds (Camp et al. 2009, p. 92). In recognition of this issue, the RBS was undertaken from 1994 to 1996, to update the status and distribution of 13 ‘‘missing’’ Hawaiian forest birds (Reynolds and Snetsinger 2001, pp. 134–137). The RBS was designed to improve efficiency in the search for extremely rare species, using the method of continuous observation during 20- to 30-minute timed searches in areas where target species were known to have occurred historically, in conjunction with audio playback of species vocalizations (when available). Several recent surveys and searches, including the RBS, have been unsuccessful in detecting Kauai akialoa despite intensive survey efforts by wildlife biologists from 1968 to 1973, and in 1981, 1989, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2005, and 2011 to 2018 (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources unpubl. data; Reynolds and Snetsinger 2001, entire; Crampton et al. 2017, entire; Crampton 2018, pers. comm.).

An unconfirmed 1969 report may have been the last sighting of Kauai akialoa (Conant et al. 1998, p. 15). Kauai akialoa has been presumed likely extinct for some time (Reynolds and Snetsinger 2001, p. 142). In addition, extensive time has been spent by qualified observers in the historical range of the Kauai akialoa searching for the small Kauai thrush (Myadestes palmeri), akekee (Loxops caeruleirostris), and akikiki (or Kauai creeper) (Oreomystis bairdi). HFBSs were conducted in 1981, 1989, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012, and 2018 (Paxton et al. 2016, entire; Paxton et al. 2020, entire). The Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) conducted occupancy surveys for the small Kauai thrush in Kokee State Park, Hono O NaPali NAR, Na Pali Kona Forest Reserve, and Alakai Wilderness Preserve, from 2011 to 2013 (Crampton et al. 2017, entire), and spent over 1,500 person-hours per year from 2015 to 2018 searching for akikiki and akekee nests. During the HFBS in 2012 and 2018, occupancy surveys and nest searches did not yield any new detections of Kauai akialoa. The KFBRP conducted mist-netting in various locations within the historical range of Kauai akialoa from 2006 through 2009, and from 2011 through 2018, and no Kauai akialoa were caught or encountered (Crampton 2018, pers. comm.).

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-10-17/pdf/2023-22377.pdf