The Oʻahu ʻalauahio (''Paroreomyza maculata''), also known as the Oʻahu creeper, is a small finch-like

Hawaiian honeycreeper Hawaiian honeycreepers are a group of small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. They are closely related to the rosefinches in the genus ''Carpodacus'', but many species have evolved features unlike those present in any other finch. Their great ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an island of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

. It is probably

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

Description

It is a small, yellow green bird with a bluish bill. It is long and is green on the back and tail. The head and underparts are yellow. The face is a brighter yellow with a dark green eyestripe. Juveniles are browner with white wingbars. It feeds on invertebrates hidden under the bark of trees, and it uses its bill to remove the bark and catch the insects using its specialized tongue.

Conservation

The bird is Critically Endangered and possibly

due to disease (

avian malaria Avian malaria is a parasitic disease of birds, caused by parasite species belonging to the genera ''Plasmodium'' and '' Hemoproteus'' (phylum Apicomplexa, class Haemosporidia, family Plasmoiidae). The disease is transmitted by a dipteran vector i ...

), introduced and

invasive plants An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

and wildlife, and

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. The last specimen was collected in 1968 and this is considered by some authorities to be the last reliable report. The last visual observation was of two individuals on the Poamoho Trail (near

Wahiawa Wahiawa ( haw, Wahiawā, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States, on the island of Oahu. It is in the Wahiawa District, on the plateau or "central valley" between the two volcanic mountains that comprise the ...

) in a

Christmas Bird Count The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society. The purpose is to provide pop ...

on 12 December 1985. Shortly after the last visual observation, a large portion of habitat in the North Halawa Valley, where most of the bird's most recent confirmed sightings were made, was destroyed for

Interstate H-3 Interstate H-3 (abbreviated H-3) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Hawaii on the island of Oahu. H-3 is also known as the John A. Burns Freeway. It crosses the Ko'olau Range along several viaducts and through th ...

, with

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Daniel Inouye Daniel Ken Inouye ( ; September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. Beginning in 1959, he was the first U.S. representative f ...

adding a rider to exempt the freeway from environmental laws such as the

Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...

, which would have otherwise protected the bird's habitat but blocked highway construction. The construction is thought to have led to a very rapid decline in the bird's already-small population, which is likely why no well-supported reports have been made since 1985, although unconfirmed reports are still filed and not all potential habitat has been surveyed. Part of the doubt and uncertainty surrounding recent observations of this species is its similarity to the

Oʻahu ʻamakihi The Oʻahu ʻamakihi (''Chlorodrepanis flava'') is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the family Fringillidae. The male is rich yellow below, sharply contrasted with greenish upper parts. Females are duller and have two prominent wing-bars. It ...

(''Chlorodrepanis flava''), which may be the last remaining endemic honeycreeper of Oʻahu if the ʻalauahio is extinct. The

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

estimates that less than 50, and likely only about 1-7 individuals, remain if the species is still extant.

References

External links

Species factsheet
- BirdLife International Paroreomyza Hawaiian honeycreepers Biota of Oahu Endemic fauna of Hawaii Critically endangered fauna of Hawaii Articles containing video clips Taxonomy articles created by Polbot ESA endangered species Taxa named by Jean Cabanis {{Hawaii-stub