Kauai Akialoa (Akialoa stejnegeri)
Posted on 31 December, 1969 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1969
Comments:
This species was found on Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA, but it is now Extinct as a result of forest clearance and introduced disease. The last report was of the species was in 1969.
Habitat:
It inhabited all forest up types above 200 m (Gorresen et al. 2009), feeding on insects and nectar (Amante-Helweg et al. 2009).
Causes:
The species is believed to have been driven to extinction by habitat destruction and disease (Collar et al. 1994). Introduced predators and hurricane damage are likely to have been important contributory factors (Woodworth et al. 2009).
Distribution:
Akialoa stejnegeri was found on Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA (Olson and James 1995, Stattersfield et al. 1998). It persisted in Kaua'i's Alaka'i Wilderness Preserve, but has not been recorded since 1969 despite intensive surveys in the region and is presumed extinct (Olson and James 1995, Gorresen et al. 2009).