The ʻelepaios are three species of monarch flycatcher in the genus Chasiempis. They are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, and were formerly considered conspecific. They measure 14 cm long and weigh 12–18 g. One species inhabits the Big Island, another Oʻahu and the third Kauaʻi. Being one of the most adaptable native birds of Hawaiʻi, no subspecies have yet become extinct, though two have become quite rare.
The ʻIʻiwi, or scarlet honeycreeper is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. The ʻIʻiwi is a highly recognizable symbol of Hawaiʻi. The ʻIʻiwi is the third most common native land bird in the Hawaiian Islands. Large colonies of ʻIʻiwi inhabit the islands of Hawaiʻi, Maui, and Kauaʻi, with smaller populations on Molokaʻi but are no longer present on Lānaʻi and Oʻahu. ʻIʻiwi populations on Kauaʻi are decreasing while there are stable populations on Maui and Hawaiʻi.
Located about 2300 miles (3680 km) from the nearest continental shore, the Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated group of islands on the planet. The plant and animal life of the Hawaiian archipelago is the result of early, very infrequent colonizations of arriving species and the slow evolution of those species—in isolation from the rest of the world's flora and fauna—over a period of at least 5 million years. As a consequence, Hawai'i is home to a large number of endemic species. The radiation of species described by Charles Darwin in the Galapagos Islands which was critical to the formulation of his theory of evolution is far exceeded in the more isolated Hawaiian Islands.
The moa-nalo are a group of extinct aberrant, goose-like ducks that lived on the larger Hawaiian Islands, except Hawaiʻi itself, in the Pacific. They were the major herbivores on most of these islands until they became extinct after human settlement.
The Kauaʻi ʻōʻō or ʻōʻōʻāʻā was a member of the extinct genus of the ʻōʻōs (Moho) within the extinct family Mohoidae from the islands of Hawai'i. It was previously regarded as member of the Australo-Pacific honeyeaters (Meliphagidae). This bird was endemic to the island of Kauaʻi. It was common in the subtropical forests of the island until the early twentieth century, when its decline began. Its song was last heard in 1987, and it is now probably extinct. The causes of its extinction include the introduction of the Polynesian rat, domestic pig, and mosquitoes carrying avian disease, as well as habitat destruction.
The poʻo-uli, or black-faced honeycreeper, is a species of passerine bird endemic to the island of Maui in Hawaiʻi. It is considered to be a member of the Hawaiian honeycreepers, and is the only member of its genus Melamprosops. It has a black head, brown upper parts and pale grey underparts. This bird inhabits only the drier, easternmost side of Maui, where it has rapidly decreased in numbers. With extinction threatening, efforts were made to capture birds to enable them to breed in captivity. This has been largely unsuccessful; in 2004, only two known birds remained, and since then, no further birds have been sighted. A 2018 study recommended declaring the species extinct, citing bird population decline patterns and the lack of any confirmed sightings since 2004.
The Bishop's ‘ō‘ō or Molokai ‘ō‘ō is a member of the extinct genus of the ‘ō‘ōs (Moho) within the extinct family Mohoidae. It was previously regarded as member of the Australo-Pacific honeyeaters (Meliphagidae). Lionel Walter Rothschild named it after Charles Reed Bishop, the founder of the Bishop Museum.
Kokia cookei is a small, deciduous tree commonly known as the kokiʻo, Molokaʻi treecotton, Cooke's kokiʻo, or Molokaʻi kokiʻo.
Avian malaria is a parasitic disease of birds, caused by parasite species belonging to the genera Plasmodium and Hemoproteus. The disease is transmitted by a dipteran vector including mosquitoes in the case of Plasmodium parasites and biting midges for Hemoproteus. The range of symptoms and effects of the parasite on its bird hosts is very wide, from asymptomatic cases to drastic population declines due to the disease, as is the case of the Hawaiian honeycreepers. The diversity of parasites is large, as it is estimated that there are approximately as many parasites as there are species of hosts. Co-speciation and host switching events have contributed to the broad range of hosts that these parasites can infect, causing avian malaria to be a widespread global disease, found everywhere except Antarctica.
The Kauai ʻakialoa was a Hawaiian honeycreeper in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family Fringillidae. It was endemic to the island of Kauai, Hawaii. It became extinct due to introduced avian disease and habitat loss. The Kauai ʻakialoa was about seven and a half inches in length and had a very long downcurved bill, which covered one third of its length. The adult males were bright olive-yellow on top and yellow on the bottom. The throat, breast, and sides of the body were olive-yellow. The females, however, were green-gray above and had a shorter bill.
The kākāwahie or Molokaʻi creeper, was a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It is extinct, but was found on the Hawaiian island of Molokaʻi in Hawaii.
The highland finch is an extinct member of the Fringillidae and a Hawaiian honeycreeper which is known only from a few bones found in caves. It is the only member of the genus Orthiospiza. It was endemic to the high-elevation areas of Mount Haleakalā on the Hawaiian island of Maui. It has been speculated that they were pushed to extinction because of habitat loss. It is known only from fossil remains and likely became extinct before the first Europeans arrived in 1778.
The Kauai finch is an extinct bird in the genus Telespiza of the family Fringillidae. It was endemic to the Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Oahu. It is only known from fossil remains and likely became extinct before the first Europeans visited Hawaii in 1778.
The scissor-billed koa finch, or scissor finch is an extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. Of the four species in the genus Rhodacanthis, the scissor-billed koa finch and the primitive koa finch became extinct before the arrival of the first Europeans to Hawaii in 1778. It was endemic to the islands of Maui and Kauaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands.
The primitive koa finch is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It was endemic to Hawaiʻi. Of the four species in the genus Rhodacanthis, it and the scissor-billed koa finch became extinct before the arrival of the first Europeans to Hawaiʻi in 1778. It is known as the ancestor of all koa finches.
The Maui ʻakepa is a species of ʻakepa native to Maui in the Hawaiian Islands, and which was common throughout the island. Introduced mosquitoes and other animals to Maui contributed to the declining population, and the bird is considered critically endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The last reported sighting of this bird was in 1988, and it is possibly extinct.
The Maui nukupuʻu is a species of nukupu‘u Hawaiian honeycreeper that is endemic to the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. The small, five-inch-long bird lives only in eastern Maui, where it is dependent on high-elevation mesic and wet forests of ʻōhiʻa lehua and koa. These two species of trees attract insects, causing the Maui nukupuʻu to have a higher chance of finding a meal near these trees.
Hawaiian honeycreepers are small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaiʻi. They are closely related to the rosefinches in the genus Carpodacus. Their great morphological diversity is the result of adaptive radiation in an insular environment.
Along with a number of other organisms, the Japanese white-eye has become an invasive species in Hawaii. Its native range includes much of east Asia, including Japan, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
