Endangered Species Coalition 2015 Top 10 Report Nominating Form
General Information
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Nominating Organizations: Please use this Column to Provide the Requested Information
Organization & Web address
Contact name for species info
Address
Email & phone
Communications staff contact name
Email & phone
American Bird Conservancy, http://www.abcbirds.org/
Dr. Chris Farmer
Kīlauea Field Station, PO Box 44, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718
cfarmer@abcbirds.org
(808) 987-1779
Robert Johns
bjohns@abcbirds.org
(202) 888-7472
General Species Information
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Common name, genus, and species
Geographic range
Conservation status
Remaining population size
Palila (Loxioides bailleui)
Mauna Kea volcano, Island of Hawai‘i
USFWS: Endangered; IUCN: Critically Endangered
1,697–2,508 (point estimate: 2,070) (Camp et al. 2014)
Report Questions
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Do you have high-resolution photos that can be
used in the report?
Will you want printed reports? If so, how many?
If your species is selected, will you use the report
as a tool to organize around the species and/or
publicize its plight?
Yes.
Yes; 60.
Yes. The selection will be promoted with social media, linked on ABC’s website, and featured
in outreach and development materials. We will use the report as a tool to educate members
of Congress and the Administration and to advocate for continued investment in its recovery.
We will do the same at the state level.
Public Engagement Questions (Please explain why the species is interesting, why it matters, why decision-makers + the public should care.)0
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Interesting facts about the species
The Palila is one of the last surviving finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreepers, and is yellow, gray,
and white, with a heavy hooked bill for opening fibrous seedpods. It is also the last surviving
representative of its genus, Loxioides (Fringillidae: Drepanidinae). The species used to be
found on multiple islands (Hawai‘i, O‘ahu, and Kaua‘i), but currently occupies <5% of its
historic range and is only found on Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i (Banko et al. 2002a). Palila depend
almost entirely on the endemic māmane tree, and are able to eat its toxic seeds. They prefers
large trees for nesting and feeding, and seasonally move up and down the slopes of Mauna
Kea following the flowering and seed production of māmane (Banko et al. 2002b, Banko et al.
2009).
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
Additional background information to complete
the species profile in the report
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What are the most important messages that
should be communicated about this species'
decline? Please be sure to indicate your
organization’s lead message that you would like
to be included in the report.
The Palila was listed as one of the first endangered species in 1967, and had a ring of māmane
and naio forest around Mauna Kea designated as critical habitat in 1977. This legal protection
was insufficient to protect the species or its habitat from browsing and habitat destruction by
non-native ungulates, in this case principally feral sheep, mouflon-sheep hybrids, and goats.
Since 1978 there have been over 35 years of contentious legal fights focused on removing
these ungulates from critical habitat (Banko et al. 2014). These lawsuits were landmarks in
environmental law because the Palila itself was granted legal status to sue the State of
Hawai‘i, and the Endangered Species Act’s definition of “take” was affirmed to include habitat
damage as caused by ungulates. In the first part of the 20th century, over 49,000 ungulates
were removed from Mauna Kea, but management priorities shifted in the 1950s, mouflon
were introduced during the 1960s, and removal stopped until 1980 (Banko et al. 2014). Since
1980, over 20,000 animals have been removed, with control efforts ongoing.
Palila have a relatively slow reproductive rate, with a normal clutch of 2 eggs, producing a
mean of less than 1 fledgling per nest overall, followed by 3-4 months of parental care (Banko
et al. 2002a). Additionally, males do not breed until their third year, and in drought or years
with poor māmane pods, few (if any) Palila may breed (Banko et al. 2009). It takes several
decades for māmane trees to reach the size at which they can provide sufficient pods and
appropriate nesting habitat for Palila. The combination of all these factors means that
recovery of the species will take many years after adequate habitat protection and forest
restoration occurs.
ABC strongly believes the fence around Mauna Kea needs to be completed, all the animals
removed, and habitat restoration increased in areas adjacent to the core māmane forest used
by Palila. The federally designated Palila Critical Habitat needs to be protected from the nonnative ungulates which the courts have declared are “taking” the endangered Palila by
browsing the native forest. The habitat degradation by ungulates has lowered the carrying
capacity of the māmane forest, and reduced its resilience to drought and the effects of
climate change (Banko et al. 2013).
Palila now occupy one of the smallest ranges of any bird in Hawai‘i, increasing their risk of
extinction. Their population has declined steadily since 2003, approximately 68% over the last
16 years, and its range has contracted from most of the interior of the Island of Hawai‘i to
64.4 km2 on the southwestern slope (see below, Camp et al. 2014, Banko et al. 2013).
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
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Is your NGO working to save the species? If yes,
how? (Optional)
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How can individuals help? Please be as specific
as possible.
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Is there anything else that governments or
others could/should/are doing to save the
species?
Removing non-native predators, primarily cats, is also an important management tactic
because these animals depredate approximately 11% of Palila nests annually (Banko et al.
2009).
Yes. American Bird Conservancy, with additional support from the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation, is collaborating with the Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife on Palila
conservation efforts and is directly supporting native forest restoration, removal of nonnative predators from Palila breeding habitat, invasive plant control, and maintaining the
ungulate-proof fence that is under construction.
Individuals can help the Palila through participating in restoration activities and advocacy for
Hawaiian native birds. The State of Hawai‘i’s Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project hosts
regular volunteer trips to outplant māmane and other native plants on Mauna Kea. Citizens of
Hawai‘i can support the State’s fencing and ungulate eradication, which although federally
mandated, are contentious, through writing to their representatives and senators in the state
legislature. Nationally, individuals can let their members in Congress know that while the
Palila, and all the ESA-listed birds of Hawai‘i, represent a third of the listed bird taxa, they
receive less than 5% of the endangered species recovery funding (Leonard 2008).
The critical fence construction and ungulate removal are underway, but additional resources
are needed to expedite the completion of these activities. The State needs to develop, fund,
and implement a strategy for achieving true eradication of ungulates from Palila Critical
Habitat, and for maintaining the fence in perpetuity. The decades of ungulate degradation
need to be countered with increased habitat restoration, particularly within the core Palila
breeding area, and in areas adjacent to tree line to respond to the effects of climate change.
The non-native predator control efforts need to be maintained and expanded.
Criteria-specific Questions – Please feel free to answer N/A or “see above/below” as appropriate. Please cite any substantiating scientific studies.
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Describe the specific threat(s) to the species.
Non-native ungulates browse on the māmane trees upon which Palila depend for food and
nesting (Banko et al. 2009, 2013, 2014). Drought, and the potential effects of climate change,
also reduce the production of māmane pods which reduces the Palila reproductive effort
(Banko et al. 2013). Non-native mammals such as cats and rats depredate Palila nests, killing
chicks and taking eggs, and occasionally take adults (Banko et al. 2009, 2014). Non-native
weeds can out-compete native trees for water, and increase the likelihood of fire in the dry
subalpine habitat of Mauna Kea (Banko et al. 2013). Increased global warming will likely
increase the threat of non-native diseases, e.g., avian malaria and pox, to Palila (Banko et al.
2009).
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
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Why is it in need of greater connectivity?
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Is its geographic range shifting?
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Palila move up and down the southwestern slope of Mauna Kea seasonally as they track the
availability of māmane pods. The distribution of māmane on the other slopes of Mauna Kea
has been reduced by ungulates and habitat conversion, so these remnant forest patches are
not connected to sufficient māmane to sustain Palila throughout the year. Similarly, isolated
māmane patches on Mauna Loa and Hualālai do not connect habitat across sufficient
elevations, nor to large enough expanses of forest overall, to support a population of Palila.
The species cannot survive long where the māmane is fragmented, sparsely distributed, or
confined to a narrow band of elevation (Banko et al. 2013).
The Palila’s range is contracting. Before human arrival, they were on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and the
Island of Hawai‘i. More recently, they were found throughout the central portion of the Island
of Hawai‘i, ranging across Hualālai, Mauna Loa, and Mauna Kea, until the late 1800s. Palila
have been restricted to Mauna Kea since approximately the 1950s. Their range was further
reduced by cattle grazing at the lower elevations and goats and sheep at the higher
elevations, until only a narrow band of māmane forest around Mauna Kea remained, i.e.,
Palila Critical Habitat (Banko et al. 2014). Even within Critical Habitat, their range has shifted –
they have not been regularly found on the northern slope since the mid-1960s, the eastern
slope since 2003, nor the southern slope since 2006.
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Is there concern around the cyclical/seasonal life
of the species and its interactions within
ecosystems?
Does it have isolated populations?
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Is it at risk of low genetic diversity?
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How urgent is the need for greater connectivity
in order to conserve this species? Does it face a
The species is facing additional pressure to shift its range upwards on Mauna Kea due to
warmer temperatures allowing non-native mosquitoes and avian disease to become
established at the lower elevations (Banko et al. 2009). However, Palila are already found at
tree line (which has been degraded and lowered by ungulates) on the southwestern slope, so
losing the lower elevation habitat will further compress the potential habitat for this species.
Yes; one of the Palila’s major traits is its seasonal movement tracking the māmane phenology
on Mauna Kea (see above, Banko et al. 2002b, Banko et al. 2013).
Yes; there is only one remaining population on the southwestern slope of Mauna Kea. There
is also a small captive breeding flock maintained by the San Diego Zoo Global program, but no
releases back into the wild are currently planned.
Palila have comparable heterozygosity to other honeycreepers and the closely allied
Carpodacus finches from the mainland, but a much lower percentage of polymorphic loci
(Patch-Highfill 2008). They also have a relatively high inbreeding coefficient.
The species faces current and ongoing threats. There is one population of approximately 2000
birds in the wild that is at risk from catastrophic fire or hurricane. It is exposed to ongoing
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
current, imminent, or future threat?
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Indicate if there is an associated political threat.
For instance, is this species being actively
attacked by an industry group or member of
Congress?
Judge’s Score for Severity and Extent of Threat:
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habitat degradation from ungulates and nest predation by cats, and will soon be threatened
by avian diseases. Connecting existing habitats patches, as well as connecting newly created
high-altitude patches, will greatly promote the long-term survival of this species.
There are very strong pro-hunting, pro-ungulate sentiments throughout Hawai‘i that have
resulted in decades of legal fights and resistance to protecting the federally designated Palila
Critical Habitat (Banko et al. 2014). Even though the courts have repeatedly mandated full
eradication of the animals (including deadlines of 31 July 1981, and 27 January 1988 that
were both missed), many ungulates remain on Mauna Kea. The continued opposition is
indicated by the repeated vandalism of the ungulate-proof fence under construction (as
recently as winter 2015), and the 2012 Hawai‘i County ban on aerial shooting to remove the
animals (Banko et al. 2014).
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Detail information on any social or economic
benefits the species provides—e.g., its value for
recreation or as a subject of scientific research.
(Optional)
Detail the ecological importance of the species
(e.g., is it a keystone species?).
Describe how the species could be considered an
"ambassador" or “flagship” species to enlist
public support for conservation.
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The Palila is the best studied Hawaiian bird, and one of the most intensively monitored birds
in the world, and has had annual population surveys conducted since 1980 (Banko et al. 2009,
Banko and Farmer 2014). It is the last representative of its genus, and one of the few finchbilled honeycreepers left – the others have all gone extinct.
Although Palila do not alter or maintain the ecological structure of their community, so are
not a keystone species, they are an ecological flagship species (see below).
The Palila is an ecological flagship species for protecting Hawai‘i’s dryland and subalpine
forests of māmane, naio, ‘akoko, and silverswords.
It is a legal flagship species because it was one of the first US Federally Endangered Species
listed, and one of the few to have Critical Habitat designated. Palila have the highest legal
protection possible, yet continue to suffer take from non-native ungulates. Many legal
decisions over decades have all affirmed that the non-native ungulates must be removed, yet
they still remain.
Hawai‘i is the bird extinction capital of the world. The Palila is one of the most well studied
birds and the management actions needed are clear – if it joins the long list of other extinct
species it will not be due to a lack of understanding, but rather a lack of political will.
Judge’s Score for Importance of Species
Judge’s Final Score
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
Please submit to top10@endangered.org, and thank you for participating in the 2015 Top 10 Report.
Banko, P. C., and C. Farmer, eds. 2014. Palila restoration research, 1996-2012. Hawai‘i Cooperative Studies Unit Technical Report, HCSU-046. University of
Hawai‘i at Hilo. 493 pages.
Banko, P. C., L. Johnson, G. D. Lindsey, S. G. Fancy, T. K. Pratt, J. D. Jacobi, and W. E. Banko. 2002a. Palila (Loxioides bailleui). The Birds of North America, No.
679 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc. Philadelphia, PA.
Banko, P. C., P. T. Oboyski, J. W. Slotterback, S. J. Dougill, D. M. Goltz, L. Johnson, M. E. Laut, and T. C. Murray. 2002b. Availability of food resources, distribution
of invasive species, and conservation of a Hawaiian bird along a gradient of elevation. Journal of Biogeography 29: 789-808.
Banko, P. C., K. W. Brinck, C. Farmer, S. C. Hess. 2009. Palila. Pages 513-529 in Conservation biology of Hawaiian forest birds: implications for island avifauna (T.
K. Pratt, C. T. Atkinson, P. C. Banko, J. D. Jacobi, B. L. Woodworth, eds.). Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.
Banko, P. C., R. J. Camp, C. Farmer, K. W. Brinck, D. L. Leonard, and R. M. Stephens. 2013. Response of palila and other subalpine Hawaiian forest bird species to
prolonged drought and habitat degradation by feral ungulates. Biological Conservation 157: 70-77.
Banko, P. C., S. C. Hess, P. G. Scowcroft, C. Farmer, J. D. Jacobi, R. M. Stephens, R. J. Camp, D. L. Leonard, K. W. Brinck, J. O. Juvick, and S. P. Juvick. 2014.
Evaluating the long-term management of introduced ungulates to protect the palila, an endangered bird, and its critical habitat in subalpine forest of
Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 46: 871-889.
Camp, R. J., K. W. Brinck, and P. C. Banko. 2014. Palila abundance estimates and trend. Technical Report HCSU-053, Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit, University
of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
Leonard, D. L. 2008. Recovery expenditures for birds listed under the US Endangered Species Act: the disparity between mainland and Hawaiian taxa. Biological
Conservation 141: 2054-2061.
Patch-Highfill, L. D. 2008. Estimating genetic diversity of Palila (Loxioides bailleui) and familial relationships of helper males. M.S. Thesis, University of Hawai‘i,
Hilo.
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies