Kaua'i 'akialoa, 2022
mixed media on paper with metallic accents
5.125" x 7"
$97 including US shipping
From the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposal for removing 23 species from the Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants due to extinction:
Kauai akialoa ( Akialoa stejnegeri; listed as Hemignathus stejnegeri ), a Hawaiian honeycreeper, was listed as endangered on March 11, 1967. The Kauai akialoa was a large (6.7 to 7.5 inches, or 17 to 19 centimeters, total length), short-tailed Hawaiian honeycreeper with a very long, thin, curved bill, the longest bill of any historically known Hawaiian passerine. The plumage of both sexes was olive-green; males were more brightly colored, were slightly larger, and had a somewhat longer bill (USFWS 2006, p. 2-86). The Kauai akialoa's relatively large size and distinctive bill suggest that if it were extant, it would be detectable by sight and recognized.
The various bird species in the subfamily Drepanidinae (also known as the Hawaiian honeycreepers), which includes Kauai akialoa, are highly susceptible to introduced avian disease. They are particularly susceptible to avian malaria (
Plasmodium relictum
), which results in high rates of mortality. The species appears to have been vulnerable to introduced avian disease.