Several of kaua i s forest bird species of greatest conservation need, including the federally endangered endemicspecies akikiki and akeke e, are currently experiencing sharp population declines

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $405,022 Project Grant to the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) under the Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) Program (CFDA 15.634). The grant, with an award date of October 1, 2023 and a completion date of December 31, 2025, supports conservation efforts for the federally endangered endemic bird species Akikiki and Akeke'e on the island of Kauai.

The key objectives are to: 1) characterize the current distribution and abundance of Akikiki and Akeke'e populations, 2) develop a labor-saving monitoring tool using artificial intelligence to expand monitoring capacity, and 3) conduct public outreach on the avian malaria threat and vector control strategies. To accomplish these goals, DLNR will conduct intensive surveys, territory mapping, occupancy surveys, and use acoustic recording units, while also developing algorithms to rapidly screen audio recordings. Additionally, DLNR will host public events and produce traditional and social media content to engage diverse audiences on threats to endemic Hawaiian birds and conservation efforts.

Recent research findingsindicate that populations of akikiki and akeke e in particular are in critical decline, estimated to be extinctin the wild in 2023 and 2030, respectively. A major threat to these bird populations is the proliferation ofavian malaria, as climate change facilitates the incursion of southern house mosquito (the vector for avianmalaria) into forest bird habitat at higher elevations. Currently no mosquito-free habitat remains on kauai.control of vector mosquito populations is a core strategy for the management of both akikiki and akeke e, andas such is a priority action in hawai i s state wildlife action plan for both species. To assess the efficacy ofvector control in supporting their population recovery, IT is necessary to better characterize the currentdistribution and population sizes of akikiki and akeke e.the objectives of this project are to 1) characterize the distribution and abundance of the akikiki and akeke e, 2) develop a labor-saving monitoring tool that expands monitoring capacity, and 3) conduct outreach tothe public regarding the avian malaria threat and vector control strategies. To accomplish the first and secondobjectives, we will survey the alaka i pleateau for akikiki and akeke e, using intensive area searches, territory mapping, occupancy surveys and acoustic recording units, focusing on regions where these species arepredicted to occur, but have not previously been surveyed. We will use artificial intelligence to developalgorithms to rapidly screen the recordings for the species of interest. To accomplish the third objective, wewill host public events, and produce traditional and social media pieces to engage diverse audiences. Thisproject will result in a clearer picture of the population distribution of the akikiki and akeke e, a higherthroughputtool for bird monitoring to support conservation efforts of all managed species, and greater publicunderstanding of threats to endemic birds and tools for addressing them. Combined, these objectives enablemosquito control regimes to be monitored for their efficacy and reach their maximum potential for supporting thepopulation recovery of the akikiki and akeke e.