Critically Endangered Bird Believed Dead Spotted Alive in Hawaiian Islands
On the slopes of a Maui volcano last Wednesday, a golden, thick-billed bird assumed to have passed away more than 1.5 years prior was spotted alive. According to Newsweek, the discovery is providing scientists hope for the critically endangered species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services has listed the kiwikiu, also known as the Maui parrotbill, as an endangered species. The little, olive-green and yellow bird used to reside all across Maui and the adjacent island of Moloka'i, claims the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project. But the number of birds has decreased to about 150 due to people, feral pigs, wildcats, and sickness spread by mosquitoes.