More than Half of Earth’s Migratory Bird Species Are Declining – Here’s How We Can Still Save Them
Scientists say honeycreeper numbers have fallen from thousands in 2023 to hundreds, prompting egg collection and possible translocation to mosquito-free habitats.
- Populations of native honeycreepers on Kauaʻi have plummeted from thousands in 2023 to just hundreds today, researchers reported on July 21, 2026. The ʻamakihi and ʻanianiau species face dramatic declines.
- Dr. Lisa Cali Crampton, manager of the Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project, confirmed the organization has begun collecting eggs and adult birds to prevent extinction. Translocation to mosquito-free habitats on Maui or Hawaiʻi Island is also being considered.
- Justine Hite, a mosquito project coordinator with the state's Division of Forestry and Wildlife, described the field work as "emotionally devastating", citing rising mosquito populations as native bird numbers continue to fall.
- Last week's discovery of two birds infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has rattled nerves among conservationists, adding an urgent new threat to already vulnerable species on the island.
- Though the news from Kauaʻi is dire, experts emphasize it serves as a "timely warning" for other islands like Maui and Hawaiʻi, where populations remain stable enough to save if immediate action is taken.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The Independent
Western Morning NewsMore than half of the world’s migratory bird species are declining
Every year, billions of migratory birds connect the world’s continents, oceans and ecosystems as they undertake epic journeys between their foraging habitats and their breeding grounds
More than half of Earth’s migratory bird species are declining – here’s how we can still save them
More than half of the world’s migratory bird species are declining as habitat loss, pesticides, hunting and other threats disrupt their journeys. Scientists say protecting birds across their full migration cycles — and acting before species become endangered — could help reverse those losses.
Lancaster Farming
More than half of Earth’s migratory bird species are declining – here’s how we can still save them
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
Los Angeles Times
Some birds defy overall plunge in bird numbers
Bird multitudes are slipping away on a global scale, but a new study offers hope for how we can make life easier for them.
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