Febuary 2021 Vol 1 Issue 21

NEWSLETTER

GIVE VOICE TO

THE AKIKIKI
Written by an Akikiki

HELP IS NEEDED!

My habitat is very wet and has a high elevation around

2,000-5,300ft up in the forest. I really enjoy it up there
because of the nice cool air, but also there are no
mosquitoes that make us sick. Yes, my climate has
changed quite a bit due to some massive hurricanes
causing major destruction to our habitats. Not to
mention we’ve had to move up in elevation due to the
nasty diseased mosquitos that got a lot of us sick. Some
of the other birds might complain because we don’t
have as much space as we once did, but I like to look at
it as we get to spend more time close together. My diet
consists of a lot of very small insects, larva, and spiders.
I also love to eat the native vegetation that is provided
to us by the beautiful earth. I do love where I live but we
do have a lot of predators, and threats. Some of our
predators include rats, feral cats, and Indian mongoose;
they’re so scary. Other threats include diseases, habitat
degradation, natural disasters, competition, and
population size. We have to keep all of these factors in
mind so that we can survive.

Due to all of these problems that we have and still have

to face our population has gone down to a dangerous
level of only 500 birds. We all know each other very well;
like a big family. We primarily live in Kaui due to the fact
that the climate is very comfortable, and we just really
like it. As I’ve stated before we’ve gone through a lot of
depopulation such as habitat loss, invasive species, and
mosquito diseases such as avian malaria. What could
help our survival is the protection by organizations,
reducing non-native plants and animals that are harming
the environment, and finding safer higher altitude places
to live without mosquitos. Our species is going through
an epidemic of loss, and any help that we can get could
potentially save our species.
Febuary 2021 Vol 1 Issue 21

OUR STORY

My species of honeycreepers adapted from the rosefinch due to having to move; causing
our whole population to change to fit the new environment, which is called adaptive
radiation. As an Akikiki moving into a whole other environment was scary, but generations
of Akikiki have taught me that the struggles we face make us stronger. The food we eat has
changed, so our beaks have changed, our habitat has changed, and so our feathers have
changed, and due to all of these factors we have collectively changed over time to a new
species (Hawaii's Comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy, 2005). Since our
environment has changed to become way denser our species have this ability to climb on
trees, and this is a great example of directional pressures causing that specific trait to
become more prominent in our species (Bailey, 2019). Our species of honeycreeper live in
higher elevations with different environments pressures with different struggles to face;
which have made our species have to change to better suit the environment. Since the
climate is changing heat is rising into our homes bringing some unwanted guests, the
invasive species the mosquito (Piccc, 2017). These terrible insects have brought diseases
into our homes, and are killing us (Kohley, 2019). We had to move up in elevation causing
our species to have to further change and adapt to the new environment. Also, our species
has gone through two massive hurricanes causing the founder effect to occur; which
greatly decreased our population (Monika, 2018).

WHAT IS PILINA TO US?

Even though all of these difficult

times, we have been able to deepen
our connection with each other
which we call pilina. Pilina means
binding and creating deeper
connections with one another
(October 20, Dicus, & Staff, 2017). I
would like to think that all of us are
family and each of us depends on
each other one way or another to
keep our species of honeycreepers
alive. We’re all connected in our
roots of the rosefinch, our common
ancestor creating this deep pilina
within all of the honeycreeper birds.
Phylogenetic Tree
 Bailey, A. (2019, January 01). Examining the AKIKIKI and what is being
done to Combat Hawaii's environmental CRISIS THAT'S... Retrieved
March 01, 2021, from
https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/examining-the-akikiki-and-what-
is-being-done-to-combat-hawaiis-environmental-crisis-that-s-
e303661b8736

Kohley, R. (2019, January 17). 'Akikiki. Retrieved March 01,

2021, from https://abcbirds.org/bird/akikiki/

Monika. (2018, September 26). Home. Retrieved March

01, 2021, from https://kauaiforestbirds.org/hurricane-
hell/

October 20, 2., Dicus, H., & Staff, H. (2017, October 20). Hawaiian
Word of the DAY: PILINA. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/36646396/hawaiian-word-of-
the-day-pilina/

Piccc. (2017, October 06). Translocation as one climate adaptation FOR

KAUA'I forest birds. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from
http://piccc.net/translocation-as-one-climate-adaptation-for-kauai-
forest-birds/

T., & Stewart, M. (2007). Field guide to birds of north America. Retrieved
March 01, 2021, from
https://offline.whatbird.com/obj/1170/behavior/Akikiki.aspx#:~:text=Aki
kiki%3A%20Their%20diet%20includes%20insects,and%20other%20nati
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Whitty, J. (2007, April 26). The next American species to go extinct maybe Two Hawaiian
birds, global WARMING AMPLIFIES THREATS. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from
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