Challenges and Approaches for Conserving Hawaii’s Endangered Forest Birds

摘要: Although the Hawaiian Islands exhibit a rich diversity of birds, with especially high rates endemism, avian is only small fraction what archipelago once supported. In fact, it estimated that over two thirds Hawaii’s forest bird species have gone extinct since human contact (Freed, Conant, and Fleisher 1987; Jacobi Atkinson 1994). Few faunas on Earth no other island avifauna experienced as many recent extinctions or include endangered species. total, 21 59 historically known subspecies birds in last 150 years most those remaining are threatened (Pyle 1990). Interestingly, not “modern” western Europeans caused extinctions, but fossils suggest, also Polynesians began 15 centuries ago (Olsen James 1982). Current threats to acute (Table 12.1), we risk losing perhaps celebrated example adaptive radiation any vertebrate, honey creepers, finches subfamily Drepanidinae 1987). Honeycreepers believed be derived from single colonization event (Johnson, Martin, Ralph 1989) exceedingly diverse morphology, coloration, habits (Figure 12.1). addition honeycreepers, three passerine families occur archipelago: Melaphagidae (honeyeaters), Corvidae (crows), Muscicapidae (old world flycatchers solitaires).