The San Diego Zoo and conservation allies say they have begun a new phase of a program to save a critically endangered species of Hawaiian birds called the kiwikiu, also known as the Maui parrotbill.

This week, the first of seven wild kiwikiu are to join birds raised at San Diego Zoo Global’s Maui Bird Conservation Center in a newly restored forest in Nakula Natural Area Reserve on Maui. The goal is to establish a second population of these small yellow birds as insurance against extinction, the zoo and partners said in a statement.

Native Hawaiian birds have been ravaged for centuries by imported pests and predators, and some have gone extinct. San Diego Zoo Global is working with federal and state agencies to preserve those left, and reintroduce captive-raised birds into protected habitat.

The natural range of kiwikiu includes all the forests of Haleakalā, Maui’s tallest mountain. But they are now limited to a small patch on the island’s windward side. The zoo says there may be as few as 157 of these birds left in the wild.


The seven wild birds were caught two weeks ago in the Hanawi NAR on Haleakalā windward side. The team included the zoo and the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A total of 15 birds were caught, and eight were released back into Hanawi. Seven were chosen for relocation to Nakula NAR. These have been kept in a mobile facility called the “bird room,” with each bird having its own space. They are fed and monitored for health.

Before their release, each bird will be outfitted with tiny radio transmitters. These transmitters will allow researchers to follow their movements for one to two months.

The capture of a female kiwikiu was especially welcome, Hanna Mounce, coordinator of the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, said in a statement.


“Surprisingly, we encountered a heck of a lot of males and other honeycreeper species, but we’re super thrilled we have two females in the bird room now,” Mounce said.

A return trip to Hanawi is planned for mid-November to look for more females.