Nukupu‘u
Encyclopedia
The Nukupuu is a critically endangered
species of Hawaiian honeycreeper
in the Fringillidae family. There are no recent confirmed records and it may be extinct
or functionally extinct. Its habitat is dense mesic and wet forests of ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha
) and koa (Acacia koa) at altitudes of 3300–6600 ft (1,005.8–2,011.7 m).
Males have yellow underparts and head. The upperparts are duller, darker and greenish. Females are overall duller, with most of the underparts whitish. The lores, eye-ring and long decurved bill are blackish. It is 5.5 inches (14 cm) long.
The last sightings - both on Kauai
and Maui
- were in 1998, though it is possible some of the sighting in the 1990s actually involve the Kauai Amakihi. Later sightings remain unconfirmed. Recent surveys have failed to locate the species and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
concluded that it in all probability is extinct or functionally extinct. BirdLife International
(and thereby IUCN) have chosen to retain its status as critically endangered until additional surveys have confirmed its extinction beyond reasonable doubts. As several other Hawaiian honeycreeper, the decline of the Nukupuu is connected to habitat loss (both due to man and hurricanes), introduced predators and disease-carrying mosquito
es.
The Nukupuu is one of the species a project of the East Maui Watershed has been aimed at. Other birds from this area included the [[ʻŌʻū|Ōū]] and the Poouli. The project involved fencing in the area and eradicating introduced predators. The entire project took out 22 feral
cat
s, 209 pigs, 1,596 Polynesian rat
s, 1,205 black rat
s, and 1,948 common mice
. On Kauai, comparable projects exists around the Koaie Stream.
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
species of Hawaiian honeycreeper
Hawaiian honeycreeper
Hawaiian honeycreepers are small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. Some authorities still categorize this group as a family Drepanididae, but in recent years, most authorities consider them a subfamily, Drepanidinae, of Fringillidae, the finch family...
in the Fringillidae family. There are no recent confirmed records and it may be extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
or functionally extinct. Its habitat is dense mesic and wet forests of ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha
Metrosideros polymorpha
The ōhia lehua is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on basalt...
) and koa (Acacia koa) at altitudes of 3300–6600 ft (1,005.8–2,011.7 m).
Males have yellow underparts and head. The upperparts are duller, darker and greenish. Females are overall duller, with most of the underparts whitish. The lores, eye-ring and long decurved bill are blackish. It is 5.5 inches (14 cm) long.
The last sightings - both on Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
and Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
- were in 1998, though it is possible some of the sighting in the 1990s actually involve the Kauai Amakihi. Later sightings remain unconfirmed. Recent surveys have failed to locate the species and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
concluded that it in all probability is extinct or functionally extinct. BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
(and thereby IUCN) have chosen to retain its status as critically endangered until additional surveys have confirmed its extinction beyond reasonable doubts. As several other Hawaiian honeycreeper, the decline of the Nukupuu is connected to habitat loss (both due to man and hurricanes), introduced predators and disease-carrying mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es.
The Nukupuu is one of the species a project of the East Maui Watershed has been aimed at. Other birds from this area included the [[ʻŌʻū|Ōū]] and the Poouli. The project involved fencing in the area and eradicating introduced predators. The entire project took out 22 feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s, 209 pigs, 1,596 Polynesian rat
Polynesian Rat
The Polynesian Rat, or Pacific Rat , known to the Māori as kiore, is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the Brown Rat and Black Rat. The Polynesian Rat originates in Southeast Asia but, like its cousins, has become well travelled – infiltrating Fiji and most Polynesian...
s, 1,205 black rat
Black Rat
The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
s, and 1,948 common mice
House mouse
The house mouse is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus.As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food....
. On Kauai, comparable projects exists around the Koaie Stream.
Subspecies
- Maui Nukupuu (Hemignathus lucidus affinis) extinct - 1995-1998
- Kauai Nukupuu (Hemignathus lucides hanapepe) extinct - 1998
- Oahu Nukupuu (Hemignathus lucides lucides) extinct - 1837
External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- 3D view of specimen RMNH 110.002 at NaturalisNaturalisNaturalis is the national natural history museum of the Netherlands, based in Leiden. It originated from the merger of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie and the Rijksmuseum van Geologie en Mineralogie in 1984. In 1986 it was decided that the museum had to become a public museum and a new...
, Leiden (requires QuickTimeQuickTimeQuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
browser plugin).