Were you able to see any of the endemic Hawaiian bird species in addition to the stilt? Is it even possible to see any endemic honeycreeper species anymore or are they all in restricted areas, in captivity, or extinct?
Were you able to see any of the endemic Hawaiian bird species in addition to the stilt? Is it even possible to see any endemic honeycreeper species anymore or are they all in restricted areas, in captivity, or extinct?
I managed to see Hawaiian stilt and Hawaiian gallinule which are endemic subspecies of their North American counterparts. The only endemic I managed to see was the Hawaiian coot, which are fairly common. Oahu is the most built up island, so only one honeycreeper species would really be possible there. Other islands have others, I think there are 15-16 species remaining, most of which are in remote areas on the smaller islands.
I managed to see Hawaiian stilt and Hawaiian gallinule which are endemic subspecies of their North American counterparts. The only endemic I managed to see was the Hawaiian coot, which are fairly common. Oahu is the most built up island, so only one honeycreeper species would really be possible there. Other islands have others, I think there are 15-16 species remaining, most of which are in remote areas on the smaller islands.
There are four endemic forest birds remaining on O'ahu, but there are only two with numbers high enough to be stable. The O'ahu 'Amakihi and the 'Apapane are both theoretically possible to see on the island. The O'ahu 'Elepaio and the I'iwi presumably both exist on the island, but are rarely if ever seen.
The best island for seeing native forest birds is Kauai with 10-11 species remaining.
Are there any native Hawaiian birds in zoos outside of the Honolulu Zoo and San Diego's captive breeding facility that anyone knows of? I can't recall hearing of any.
There is an 'Alala at the CRES facility at the SDWAP (off display) and there are Hawaii 'Amakihi at the Honolulu Zoo (off display), Sedgwick County Zoo, and Philadelphia Zoo. There are also numerous Nene, Koloa, and Laysan Teal throughout the world.
As has been mentioned on other posts, the reason that assurance populations have not been established on the mainland is because the disappearance of these birds are largely due to introduced diseases that the birds have no immunity to, diseases the likes of which will be even more numerous on the mainland.
