The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will consider whether a Hawaiian honeycreeper is warranted for listing as an endangered or threatened species.
Climate change, habitat destruction and avian disease pose a threat to the iiwi, or Vestiaria coccinea, which is endemic to Hawaii.
In August 2010 two organizations — the Center for Biological Diversity and Life Net — submitted a petition to the service requesting the agency designate the iiwi as endangered or threatened.
Recent figures of the iiwi population were not available. The petition said there has been a dramatic drop in the number of iiwi in a 20- to 30-year period.
"At least 20 types of Hawaiian honeycreepers have already gone extinct," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director of the Center for Biological Diversity, which is based in Portland, Ore. "To have any chance at avoiding that fate, the beautiful iiwi needs protection now," he said in a news release.
The organizations also asked that critical habitat for the birds be designated. The petition is available at www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/birds/iiwi/pdfs/Iiwi_Petition.pdf.
Wildlife service officials will conduct a 12-month review on the forest bird.
The iiwi has bright scarlet feathers and is distinguished from other Hawaiian forest birds by its long, curved bill. If the agency validates the iiwi for the endangered or threatened species list, a proposed rule will follow and public comments will be sought.
Ken Foote, spokesman of the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Service, said the iiwi’s unique bill allows it to feed on native flowers, primarily the ohia lehua blossom, playing a vital role as a pollinator of the endemic tree.
Iiwi breeding takes place from February to June. Females typically lay two eggs at a time, rearing one to two broods a year.
Foote noted that the iiwi’s bright red feathers were used to make capes and helmets for Hawaii’s alii.
With warmer temperatures in Hawaii due to climate change, mosquitos are moving to higher elevations in forests where iiwi populations reside, posing a threat of the spread of avian malaria and avian pox virus, diseases to which the birds are susceptible.
Advocates say the threat of extinction with the continuing climate change and the spread of avian disease are among the reasons to list iiwi as a threatened or endangered species.
To ensure a comprehensive review on the species, the wildlife service is seeking information that includes past and present conservation efforts, current status and distribution of the native birds in the islands, and factors that pose a threat to them. Officials ask the public to send the information by March 26 to www.regulations.gov.
For more information call Loyal Mehrhoff, field supervisor of the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Services, at 792-9400 or fax to 792-9581. Those who use a telecommunication device for the hearing-impaired can call the Federal Information Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
