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 San Francisco Gate reports that five of the seven kiwikiu who were brought to Maui's Nakula Natural Area Reserve in October 2019 perished from avian malaria, which was spread to the birds by non-native insects. Up until their discovery on Wednesday, the other two were assumed to be dead. A bracelet on his leg served as his unique identification as wild #1 from the 2019 transfer.