A single kiwikiu, part of a group of seven kiwikius relocated to the Nakula Natural Area Reserve in 2019, survived a deadly mosquito-borne disease that wiped out the rest of its cohort. The bird was presumed lost until it was rediscovered during a planting trip in 2021 when its song caught the attention of a conservationist.
The Kiwikiu, also known as the Maui Parrotbill, is a small bird measuring between 5-6 inches long. It boasts a yellow underbody and an olive green top half, with distinctive eye stripes. The juveniles are gray/olive on top and pale yellow below. These birds can live up to 16 years, with fledglings staying with their parents until they are between 5-17 months old. According to the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, pairs usually produce one offspring every year or two. Historically found across Maui and Molokai, their range has now been drastically reduced to just 7.413 acres.
Zach Pezzillo, who was part of the tree planting trip that discovered the surviving bird named MAPA1, shared his experience: “It was just me and a colleague talking and resting and suddenly, we heard a kiwikiu. Both of us sat and listened. Sure enough, we heard it again; it was singing. I grabbed my binoculars and by looking at its leg bands I was able to confirm it was MAPA1, who hadn’t been seen in about two years and was believed to be dead.”
In November, conservationists set up mist nets and successfully captured MAPA1, according to a news release from the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). Laura Berthold, avian field crew supervisor with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project expressed her excitement upon identifying MAPA1: “We were surprised when we started tracking a bird with the same leg band color combination of MAPA1. We weren’t sure if it was him or not because he had a combination where one color band was missing. There were at least three individuals he could have been. I was very, very excited and happy because we were finally going to figure out the mystery of this individual bird. It must have been quite a journey for him.” The team also discovered that MAPA1 had mated with a female that produced a single offspring this year.
