Protective status of Native Hawaiian bird changes from endangered to threatened

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Federal officials have eased the protective status of a Native Hawaiian bird species, from endangered to threatened.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the aeʻo, or Hawaiian stilt, will be down-listed under the Endangered Species Act.

This means the ae’o population has recovered enough to lower its risk of extinction.

“The downlisting of aeʻo is a huge achievement,” said Bridget Fahey, who works as the USFWS’s acting regional director for the Pacific.

The aeʻo is a wading bird native to all but one of the Hawaiian Islands, excluding Kahoolawe.

The species was listed as endangered back in 1970 when it faced rising challenges from habitat destruction, hunting, introduced predatory animals, nonnative birds, and diseases, according to the USFWS.

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“While there is still more work to be done to sustain the aeʻo’s recovery, today we want to celebrate the efforts of our conservation partners, including the State of Hawaii, the U.S. military, private landowners, and local organizations,” Fahey said.

In recent years, successful conservation efforts by state and federal agencies have resulted in more wetland areas being managed with native species in mind.

Although progress has been made in recent decades, wildlife officials say the aeʻo continues to be threatened by nonnative animal predation, from animals like mongooses, cats, and rats.

Other factors threatening the ae’o include habitat loss and human modification, type C botulism, and future sea level rise, according to officials.

Survey data and a recent population viability analysis found that the ae’o population is expected to keep trending upward as current conservation practices continue.

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