Justification This species qualifies as Critically Endangered because it has an extremely small declining range, confined to one upland area where it is at risk from the effects of hurricanes and exotic taxa including predators and disease. Its conservation status appears to be getting worse.

Family/Sub-family Fringillidae

Species name author (Stejneger, 1887)

Taxonomic source(s) AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 13 cm. Quiet bark-picker with conical, slightly downcurved bill. Adult grey-brown above, white below with pink bill and feet. Juvenile has bold white eye-ring. Similar spp. Female Kaua'i Nukupu'u Hemignathus lucidus hanapepe greener above with yellow tinges around face. `Elepaio Chasiempis sandwichensis has white rump, tail tip, and wing spots. Voice Song a short, descending trill. Call a simple weet. Juveniles following adults utter stuttering series of short notes chit-chit, chi-chi-chit, chit. Hints Forages slowly along trunks and branches, occasionally among flowers. Found in low numbers along Alaka`i Swamp Trail near Koke`e.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

780 - 1,840

decreasing

90 km²

Yes

Range & population Oreomystis bairdi was common and widely distributed in the 1890s on Kaua`i in the Hawaiian Islands (USA). During 1968-1973, the total population was estimated at 6,832 (±966 standard error), when it was recorded on the Laau ridge and was fairly widespread in Koke'e<sup>8</sup>. Since then, it has declined in and retreated from the Koke`e region and the fringes of the Alaka`i region and is now uncommon to rare in the Alaka`i^4,5,6. Recent unpublished survey data indicate dramatic declines (85-89% since 1968-1973) and a decline of c.64% in its core area in the Alakai Swamp from 1970 to 2000¹¹. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki devastated forests throughout Kaua`i, and all bird populations on the island appeared to have been drastically reduced^4,5, although some have since recovered. Most recently the population was estimated to number 1,312 ± 530 birds, based on surveys conducted in April and May 2007¹⁴, occupying an area of just 36 km^{2 12}.

Ecology: It is found in high-elevation `ohi`a and koa-`ohi`a forest, but the latter is mainly distributed in the Koke`e region, from where it is retreating<sup>4,7,8</sup>. The Alaka`i stronghold is at 1,000-1,600 m. However, the 1968-1973 surveys found the species at lower altitudes in a few areas, and it may not occur above 1,500 m^7,8. It feeds on invertebrates^6,7.

Threats Lowland forests have been cleared for timber and agriculture, with feral livestock causing further degradation and destruction^7,8. Feral pigs continue to be particularly detrimental, additionally dispersing alien plants and facilitating the spread of introduced mosquitoes which transmit avian malaria and avian pox^3,5,7. Domestic and introduced birds provide reservoirs for these diseases, to which there is little resistance in Hawaiian honeycreeper populations^2,5,7,8. Predation by introduced animals and competition for arthropod resources by introduced taxa (especially Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus, wasps and ants) are additional threats^1,2,7,8. Introduced plants such as Kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum), blackberry (Rubus argutus), strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum), Australian tree fern (Cyathea cooperi) and firetree (Myrica faya) have degraded much native forest in Koke'e, and threaten the remaining habitat. Hurricanes have had major impacts on population size in the past and now displace birds from the small area of suitable habitat at altitude and push them into the lowlands where avian malaria is prevalent¹¹. A growing concern is that rising temperatures could allow mosquitos to survive at higher altitudes and further transmit avian malaria and avian pox¹¹.

Conservation measures underway It occurs within the Alaka`i Wilderness Preserve but has declined dramatically within this area. The Zoological Society of San Diego is developing techniques for rearing Oreomystis creepers from eggs and breeding them in captivity, using the related Hawai`i Creeper, at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center¹⁰. The Hawai`i Creeper has been successfully propagated in captivity, and release of the captive population is planned^10,13. Captive breeding of Akikiki was due to begin in 2008. Starting in April 2007, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources conducted population surveys of forest birds on Kaua'i to determine trends which were being analysed in late 2007. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in 2005 that the Akikiki should be officially designated an endangered species, but declined to move forward with the listing for budgetary reasons. It has been a candidate species since 1994 and was again proposed in 2007¹⁵. The Kaua'i Watershed Alliance and The Nature Conservancy are considering fencing (to exclude herbivores and possibly other predators) the north-eastern section of the Alakai Plateau on Kaua'i where the species was last recorded.

Conservation measures proposed Protect the Alaka`i Wilderness Preserve from the invasion of introduced plants and feral ungulates⁷, and restore degraded areas. Continue to monitor its population status and distribution. Develop the programme for captive rearing and release, before the population falls to a critical level.

References 1. Jacobi and Atkinson (1995). 2. Lepson (1997). 3. Loope and Medeiros (1995). 4. Pratt (1993). 5. Pratt (1994). 6. Pratt et al. (1987). 7. Scott et al (1986). 8. USFWS (1983). 9. Foster et al. (2000). 10. USFWS (2003). 11. Anon (2007). 12. Foster et al. (2004). 13. P. Roberts in litt. (2007). 14. Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife and USGS, (unpublished.data). 15. Vanderwerf and ABC (2007).

Further web sources of information

Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) species/site profile. This species has been identified as an AZE trigger due to its IUCN Red List status and limited range.

Audubon WatchList

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Revised Recovery Plan for Hawaiian Forest Birds 2006

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Matt Harding (BirdLife International), Isabel Isherwood (BirdLife International), Alison Stattersfield (BirdLife International), Tom Stuart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Contributors Rick Camp (US Geological Survey), Scott Fretz (Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife), Marcos Gorresen (US Geological Survey), Pauline Roberts (Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife), Eric VanderWerf (Pacific Rim Conservation), Bethany Woodworth (US Geological Survey)

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Oreomystis bairdi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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