2024 marked the "Year of the Forest Birds" in Hawaii, as declared by Governor Josh Green, M.D., with an aim to increase awareness about the challenges faced by Hawaiian forest birds. Approximately 47,000 people participated in bird-related educational events throughout the year.
Despite these efforts, several critically endangered forest birds continued to decline. Kauaʻi’s ʻakikiki is now considered functionally extinct in the wild, with only a handful remaining. The populations of Kauaʻi’s ʻanianiau and ʻakekeʻe and Maui’s kiwikiu have also decreased, prompting further collection for captive breeding programs aimed at preventing extinction. On Hawaiʻi Island, the palila population has dwindled to around 500 due to invasive predators like cats, rats, and mongooses.
However, there were moments of hope. Five ʻalalā (Hawaiian crow) were released into Maui's forests after years of being confined to captive breeding centers. In Kauaʻi, one of the last wild ʻakikiki named Pakele was spotted with a potential mate Liko. Similarly, on Maui, a kiwikiu known as MAPA1 was seen despite previous concerns about its disappearance due to disease.
Conservation efforts introduced new tools offering optimism for these birds' future survival. The Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project implemented the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) in 2024 to reduce mosquito populations that spread avian malaria. This initiative will extend to Kauaʻi in 2025 with hopes of aiding Pakele and Liko.
Awareness among Hawaiʻi residents has increased significantly; surveys showed a drop from 59% in 2017 to 24% in 2024 among those unable to name a Hawaiian forest bird.
As this dedicated year concluded, students across Hawaiʻi shared video messages expressing their learnings and hopes for these birds' continued presence in Hawaii through social media platforms managed by DOFAW and other campaign partners such as Kamehameha Schools and The Nature Conservancy.