comscore Hawaiian honeycreepers in peril | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Editorial | Off the News

Hawaiian honeycreepers in peril

Honolulu Star-Advertiser logo
Unlimited access to premium stories for as low as $12.95 /mo.
Get It Now

An effort to increase the count of one of Hawaii’s most critically endangered birds has stalled due to at least nine of 13 kiwikiu — a yellow and olive-green Hawaiian honeycreeper — apparently succumbing to avian malaria, a major killer of forest birds in Hawaii.

While mosquito vectors have long forced some forest birds into mountain terrain, warming climate conditions are allowing the insect to reach higher elevations. This setback for the species underscores the need to effectively control the mosquito population. Failure to do so could result in further kiwikiu demise; the total of various honeycreeper species extinctions is upwards of 20.

Beware of faked OCP emails

Most folks aren’t fooled anymore by emails promising cash in exchange for advancing funds to a Nigerian prince. That’s so last century.

But one current scam sends local businesses a phishing email from a spoofed account, apparently from the state Office of Consumer Protection, seeking private information. OCP says it would never ask a business to download a password-protected file.

Of course, the whole idea of confidence tricks is to use a front that inspires confidence. Still, pretty nervy on the scammer’s part.

Comments (2)

By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines.

Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.

Click here to see our full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. Submit your coronavirus news tip.

Be the first to know
Get web push notifications from Star-Advertiser when the next breaking story happens — it's FREE! You just need a supported web browser.
Subscribe for this feature

Scroll Up