RESEARCH PROJECT

Post-release monitoring of the ʻekupuʻu (Laysan finch; Telespiza cantans) on Eastern Island, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge

Closeup of ʻekupuʻu as it sits perched on a plant.
ʻEkupuʻu on Kamole (Laysan Island).

The ‘ekupu‘u (Laysan finch; Telespiza cantans) and palihoa (Nihoa finch; T. ultima) are the only Hawaiian honeycreepers that occur today in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI; Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument). Both are endangered. Like other Hawaiian species that occur in small, isolated populations, both finches face numerous threats that pose a high risk of extinction. As part of efforts to reduce extinction risk, multiple translocations of both Telespiza species have occurred since the late 1890s. Creating additional populations of ʻekupuʻu and palihoa on more of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands has been recommended for decades to reduce extinction. Acting on these recommendations is becoming more urgent with the impacts of increasingly severe storm activity associated with climate change. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is currently planning translocations of both species from their respective source island to establish new populations elsewhere in the NWHI. The overall objective of this project is to successfully translocate up to 100 ‘ekupuʻu from Manawai to Eastern Island, where success is measured as the immediate survival of released birds and their establishment as a self-sustaining population.


Partner Organizations: Pacific Bird Conservation; American Bird Conservancy; USGS National Wildlife Health Research Center

PROJECT DETAILS

FUNDED:

FY2024

PI:

Sheldon Plentovich
Coastal Program Coordinator, USFWS, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Service Office