Kauaʻi nukupuʻu
Illustration by Keulemans

Critically endangered, possibly extinct  (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Presumed Extinct  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Carduelinae
Genus: Hemignathus
Species:
H. hanapepe
Binomial name
Hemignathus hanapepe
Black: Extinct
Green: Current range
Synonyms

Hemignathus lucidus hanapepe

The Kauaʻi nukupuʻu (Hemignathus hanapepe) was a species of nukupuʻu once found throughout parts of the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. It was an insect eater that picked out its tiny prey from tree bark. The males were yellowish with brown wings, while the females were grayish brown with a yellow throat streak.

Conservation

Illustration from The Ibis, the brighter bird in the back

The species was abundant until the 19th century, when the loss of its lowland forests to slash and burn farming methods damaged its habitat. By 1889, this bird was very rare, though it could still be found in small flocks in the higher forests. The last confirmed sighting was in 1899; if the species survived after this time, it likely became confined to the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve. From 1984-1998, it was recorded several times in this area, but later analysis of these sightings indicates that almost all these observations were likely of Kauaʻi ʻamakihi (Chlorodrepanis stejnegeri). It was also feared that the winds from Hurricane Iniki in 1992 could have created more damage to the bird's habitat. Intensive searches for this species throughout the 1990s were unsuccessful, although a single unconfirmed report was made in 2007. The species was likely already extinct by 1906, but the recency of some of the unconfirmed sightings indicates that the species should likely not be classified as extinct unless there is no doubt that it is.[3] In September 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed that the Kauaʻi nukupuʻu extinct, citing fruitless and extensive surveys.[4][5] In October 2023, the species was delisted from the Endangered Species Act citing extinction.[6]

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2018). "Hemignathus hanapepe". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T103823616A125584125. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T103823616A125584125.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Kauai Nukupu'u". NatureServe. 6 June 2022. ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100315. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  3. ↑ International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (2016-10-01). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Hemignathus hanapepe". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  4. ↑ Einhorn, Catrin (29 September 2021). "Protected Too Late: U.S. Officials Report More Than 20 Extinctions". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  5. ↑ "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of 23 Extinct Species From the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  6. ↑ "21 Species Delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to Extinction | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". FWS.gov. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  • "Kauaʻi Nuku Puʻu" (PDF). Hawaii’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. State of Hawaiʻi. 2005-10-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-03.
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