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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 3:53 p.m., Thursday, March 19, 2009

Federal report highlights threat to Hawaii birds

Associated Press

A new federal report says more bird species in Hawaii are near extinction than anywhere else in the country.

The State of the Birds report says nearly all native Hawaiian forest birds are declining.

Island birds are threatened by a loss of habitat, nonnative disease carrying mosquitoes, and feral pigs and cattle.

One particularly hard-hit species is the pilala, which grows only on the slopes of Mauna Kea. Its population dropped to 2,200 last year from 6,600 in 2003.

Even so, the American Bird Conservancy says Hawaii species were the target of only 4 percent of the endangered species recovery funds under the Bush administration.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he hoped to address such "holes" in the budget.