Publications

We determined the best plumage and morphometric variables for ageing and sexing the Maui Parrotbill (Pseudonestor xanthophrys), an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper found only on east Maui, Hawaii, by examining and measuring 30 museum specimens and 71 live birds captured in mist nets. Juvenal plumage was identified by the presence of pale-tipped wing bars on the middle and greater coverts, grayish

The Bridled White-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus rotensis) was Once thought to be common and widespread on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, but is now restricted to several patches of native limestone forest in and adjacent to the Sabana region. Surveys conducted in 1990 indicated that the population had declined by 87% between 1982 and 1990 for unknown reasons. The low density a

Omao (Myadestes obscurus) from the Hawaiian Islands typically have very low prevalences of infection with avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) and it is not clear whether they share the same high susceptibility to this parasite that has been documented in native Hawaiian honeycreepers. We exposed four captive Omao to single infective mosquito bites and measured parasitemia, serological responses, a

We compiled the recent history of sightings and searched for 13 rare and missing Hawaiian forest birds to update status and distribution information. We made 23 expeditions between August 1994 and April 1996 on the islands of Hawai‘i, Maui, Moloka‘i, and Kaua‘i totaling 1,685 search hours, 146 field days, and 553 person days. During our surveys we found four critically endangered birds: the Po‘oul

We reintroduced 25 captive-reared ‘Oma‘o (Myadestes obscurus) and translocated 16 wild-caught ‘Oma‘o to former range in the Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a Wildlife Sanctuary on the island of Hawai‘i to develop and refine methods that might be used in the recovery of the closely related and critically endangered Puaiohi (Myadestes palmeri) on Kaua‘i. Captive-reared ‘Oma‘o were soft-released from two hacking towers

Populations of endemic Hawaiian birds declined catastrophically following the colonization of the islands by Polynesians and later cultures. Extinction is still occurring, and recovery programs are urgently needed to prevent the disappearance of many other species. Programs to recover the endemic avifauna incorporate a variety of conceptual and practical approaches that are constrained by biologic

Six of seven Hawaii Amakihi (Hemignathus virens) with chronic malarial infections had no increases in peripheral parasitemia, declines in food consumption, or loss of body weight when rechallenged with the homologous isolate of Plasmodium relictum 61 to 62 days after initial infection. Five uninfected control amakihi exposed at the same time to infective mosquito bites developed acute infections w

Flowers of the mamane tree (Sophoru chrysophylla) are the primary nectar source for Hawaiian honeycreepers in subalpine woodland on Mauna Kea Volcano on the island of Hawai‘i. Mamane seeds are the primary food resource of the endangered Palila (Loxioides bailleui), which is now restricted to subalpine woodland on Mauna Kea. The objectives of this study were to determine the patterns and relative s

Most montane rain forests on the island of Hawaii consist of a closed canopy formed by Cibotium spp. tree ferns beneath an open canopy of emergent Metrosideros polymorpha trees. We used artificial seedlings to assess the extent to which physical disturbance caused by the senescing fronds of tree ferns and the activities of feral pigs might limit tree regeneration. Artificial seedlings were establi

No abstract available.

Two strains of avian pox viruses were isolated from cutaneous lesions in Hawaiian crows (Corvus hawaiiensis) examined in 1994 and a third from a biopsy obtained in 1992 from an infected bird of the Apapane species (Himatione sanguinea) by inoculation of the chorioallantoic membranes (CAM) of developing chicken embryos. The resulting proliferative CAM lesions contained eosinophilic cytoplasmic incl

We conducted surveys to evaluate the current population status of the Tinian Monarch (Monarcha takatsukasae), an insectivorous forest bird restricted to the island of Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In 1996, we recounted transects surveyed in 1982 and used the same analysis procedure to compare 1982 and 1996 population estimates. The 1996 population estimate was 55,721 ± 3,84