Experts try to save last three po'ouli birds
Associated Press
OLINDA, Maui — Bird experts are trying to plant radio transmitters in the last three known po'ouli — possibly the rarest bird in the world.
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A crew from the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project will go into the Hanawi Natural Area Reserve in hopes of finding and catching the elusive native Hawaiian birds. The three known po'ouli are believed to be in different parts of the rugged East Maui rainforest.
The po'ouli bird may be the rarest of all. There is only one known male and two females.
The last known breeding of the bird was five years ago. There is only one known male and two females.
Project coordinator Jim Groombridge said that, with only three birds, it is difficult to think about restoring a population. But he said a chance to save one of Hawai'i's unique native species is an effort worth trying.
The po'ouli, or Hawaiian honeycreeper, was first identified in 1973 in the upper rainforest of East Maui by students on a University of Hawai'i expedition.
After the three birds are caught, plans call for equipping them with tiny radio transmitters to help locate them and track their movements, Groombridge said.
After the male's whereabouts have been determined, a female will be captured and taken to the male's neighborhood, according to the plans. If the first female fails to breed with the male, the crew will attempt to transport the other female to the area in hopes of making a match.
