Saving Hawaii's Birds - With American Bird Conservancy

BirdNote^®

The Other Side of Paradise: Saving Hawaii’s Birds
With American Bird Conservancy

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote!
[Music from Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2, Ho-olohe Na Kupuna]
There’s a hopeful new focus on Hawaii’s birds.  American Bird Conservancy and other organizations are working to make Hawaiian birds a top national priority for conservation. [Apapane songs]
This caring attention comes none too soon. Of all the endangered bird species in the United States, more than one-third are found only in Hawaii. [Continue Apapane song]
Since the arrival of Polynesians to the islands roughly 1,500 years ago, through the landing of Europeans, to the present day, human impacts have caused the extinction of more than 70 species of Hawaiian birds. [Kauai O’o song] The Kauai O’o we’re hearing has not been seen in more than 20 years. [Kauai O’o song]  
Yet wonderful birds remain in Hawaii, and a concerted effort can help save them. For example, biologists on Hawaii’s Big Island are working to restore the Palila, an endangered bird found only on the forested slopes of the Mauna Kea volcano. [Palila song] The Palila depends on the seeds of native trees, but non-native sheep, goats, and pigs are devastating the forest.  A project is now under way to fence out the destructive animals, brightening the birds’ future by protecting its essential habitat. [Palila song] 
Learn more about how American Bird Conservancy is helping Hawaii’s birds, on our website, BirdNote.org.   [Song of Apapane] 
[Hawaiian instrumental music] 
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Sounds of the birds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Recordist G.F. Budney for Apapane 129168 (CD 65 T12) and Palila 129178 CD65 T9;   Kauai O’o 6031 recorded by R. J. Shallenberger, CD 31 T 35.
Music courtesy of Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2, Ho-olohe Na Kupuna, Jeff Peterson, 2009 Daniel Ho Creations, www.DanielHo.com
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2013 Tune In to Nature.org     January 2013     Narrator: Michael Stein

ID#  SotB-Hawaii-02-2011-01-13     

Background from American Bird Conservancy website and publications.  See for example http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/oceansandislands/hawaii_projects.html