The Challenge: The Laysan Teal is an endangered, endemic, Hawaiian dabbling duck that has been pushed to the brink of extinction numerous times. The previous range includes the Main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and its current range is less than 10 sq. km within the National Wildlife Refuges of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. This non-migratory waterfowl was eliminated from all the Hawaiian Islands except for Laysan by the 1860’s through anthropogenic effects (i.e., introduced rats, shipwrecked mariners, etc.). The Laysan Island population was threatened when guano miners inhabited the island, hunted the duck, and introduced rabbits, devastating the native habitat until they were removed in 1923. Presently, extreme events (e.g., tsunamis, hurricanes, drought, or flooding), disease (e.g., Avian Botulism), sea-level rise, accidental predator or competitor introductions, are ongoing threats to this duck’s survival.
The Science: Research has been conducted on Laysan Island by USGS and USFWS since 1998, focusing on population dynamics, survival, reproduction, genetics, foraging ecology, and habitat use to determine suitable reintroduction sites and methods. A successful
reintroduction to Midway Atoll during 2004-5 has reduced the species’ extinction risk from random catastrophes. Another translocation, to Kure Atoll, occurred during Sept of 2014 and sightings data indicate high post release survival so far. Successive outbreaks of Avian Botulism on Midway Atoll and the 2011 tsunami striking both Laysan Island and Midway Atoll have again threatened this species’ survival, demonstrating the critical need for additional reintroductions. A survival analysis is currently underway to better understand the population effects and magnitude of the recent mortality events.
The Future: Possible sites for additional translocations include Lisianski Island and Kaho‘olawe. However, either of these potential translocation sites must contain suitable habitat and be rat/predator free before any further steps can be taken. USGS will continue to provide scientific support to collect (when possible) and analyze data from Laysan Island, Midway Atoll, and Kure Atoll, with the ultimate goal of reintroduction of this species to more islands within its previous range, helping to ensure the persistence of this species over the long term.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Long-term monitoring of endangered Laysan ducks: Index validation and population estimates 1998–2012
Demographic variation, reintroduction, and persistence of an island duck (Anas laysanensis)
Dynamics of seabird colonies vulnerable to sea-level rise at French Frigate Shoals, Hawai`i
Influence of space use on fitness and the reintroduction success of the Laysan teal
Postcatastrophe population dynamics and density dependence of an endemic island duck
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
The Challenge: The Laysan Teal is an endangered, endemic, Hawaiian dabbling duck that has been pushed to the brink of extinction numerous times. The previous range includes the Main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and its current range is less than 10 sq. km within the National Wildlife Refuges of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. This non-migratory waterfowl was eliminated from all the Hawaiian Islands except for Laysan by the 1860’s through anthropogenic effects (i.e., introduced rats, shipwrecked mariners, etc.). The Laysan Island population was threatened when guano miners inhabited the island, hunted the duck, and introduced rabbits, devastating the native habitat until they were removed in 1923. Presently, extreme events (e.g., tsunamis, hurricanes, drought, or flooding), disease (e.g., Avian Botulism), sea-level rise, accidental predator or competitor introductions, are ongoing threats to this duck’s survival.
The Science: Research has been conducted on Laysan Island by USGS and USFWS since 1998, focusing on population dynamics, survival, reproduction, genetics, foraging ecology, and habitat use to determine suitable reintroduction sites and methods. A successful
reintroduction to Midway Atoll during 2004-5 has reduced the species’ extinction risk from random catastrophes. Another translocation, to Kure Atoll, occurred during Sept of 2014 and sightings data indicate high post release survival so far. Successive outbreaks of Avian Botulism on Midway Atoll and the 2011 tsunami striking both Laysan Island and Midway Atoll have again threatened this species’ survival, demonstrating the critical need for additional reintroductions. A survival analysis is currently underway to better understand the population effects and magnitude of the recent mortality events.The Future: Possible sites for additional translocations include Lisianski Island and Kaho‘olawe. However, either of these potential translocation sites must contain suitable habitat and be rat/predator free before any further steps can be taken. USGS will continue to provide scientific support to collect (when possible) and analyze data from Laysan Island, Midway Atoll, and Kure Atoll, with the ultimate goal of reintroduction of this species to more islands within its previous range, helping to ensure the persistence of this species over the long term.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Long-term monitoring of endangered Laysan ducks: Index validation and population estimates 1998–2012
Monitoring endangered wildlife is essential to assessing management or recovery objectives and learning about population status. We tested assumptions of a population index for endangered Laysan duck (or teal; Anas laysanensis) monitored using mark–resight methods on Laysan Island, Hawai’i. We marked 723 Laysan ducks between 1998 and 2009 and identified seasonal surveys through 2012 that met accurAuthorsMichelle H. Reynolds, Karen Courtot, Kevin W. Brinck, Cynthia Rehkemper, Jeffrey HatfieldDemographic variation, reintroduction, and persistence of an island duck (Anas laysanensis)
Population variation in life history can be important for predicting successful establishment and persistence of reintroduced populations of endangered species. The Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis) is an endangered bird native to the Hawaiian Archipelago that was extirpated from most islands after the introduction of mammalian predators. Laysan ducks were restricted to a single remote island, LaysanAuthorsMichelle H. Reynolds, Emily Weiser, Ian Jamieson, Jeffrey S. HatfieldDynamics of seabird colonies vulnerable to sea-level rise at French Frigate Shoals, Hawai`i
Globally, seabirds are vulnerable to anthropogenic threats both at sea and on land. Seabirds typically nest colonially and show strong site fidelity; therefore, conservation strategies could benefit from an understanding of the population dynamics and vulnerability of breeding colonies to climate change. More than 350 atolls exist across the Pacific Ocean; while they provide nesting habitat foAuthorsMichelle H. Reynolds, Karen N. Courtot, Crystal M. Krause, Nathaniel E. Seavy, Paula Hartzell, Jeff S. HatfieldInfluence of space use on fitness and the reintroduction success of the Laysan teal
Translocation is an important tool for wildlife conservation and biodiversity restoration, but an inefficient one because of the unpredictability of success. Predictors of success such as habitat quality of the release site and number of individuals released have been identified, but the dynamics of successful translocations remain poorly understood. In particular, little is known about the relatiAuthorsM.H. Reynolds, J. S. Hatfield, L.P. Laniawe, M.S. Vekasy, J.L. Klavitter, P. Berkowitz, L.H. Crampton, J. R. WaltersPostcatastrophe population dynamics and density dependence of an endemic island duck
Laysan ducks (Anas laysanensis) are restricted to approximately 9 km2 in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, USA. To evaluate the importance of density dependence for Laysan ducks, we conducted a Bayesian analysis to estimate the parameters of a Gompertz model and the magnitude of process variation and observation error based on the fluctuations in Laysan duck abundance on Laysan Island from 1994 tAuthorsN.E. Seavy, M.H. Reynolds, W.A. Link, J. S. Hatfield - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.