KAUMAKANI, KAUAʻI — The ʻakikiki, a native Hawaiian honeycreeper found only on Kauaʻi, is now believed to be extinct in the wild, according to new research released Thursday, Nov. 5, by the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).
The last-known wild ʻakikiki, nicknamed “Pakele,” was observed Aug. 29, 2025, and has not been seen since.
Published in the scientific journal Ornithological Applications, the study strongly links the species’ collapse to avian malaria, a deadly disease transmitted by invasive mosquitoes.
Researchers Justin Hite, Lisa Crampton and Eben Paxton analyzed monitoring data collected by the Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) between 2015 and 2022 in the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve.
Their findings revealed that although nesting success remained relatively stable, adult survival rates declined sharply as avian malaria infections increased.
“Despite relatively stable nesting success, the population continued to collapse as avian malaria infections increased,” said Hite, formerly of KFBRP and now DLNR’s Mosquito Control Project Coordinator.
For decades, Kauaʻi’s high-elevation forests provided refuge from mosquitoes. However, rising temperatures have allowed the insects to spread into previously protected habitats, threatening other native birds.
As of October 2026, only a few ʻakekeʻe remained in the wild, while populations of ʻanianiau and Kauaʻi ʻamakihi had fallen below 500 birds each, according to DLNR.
Despite the ʻakikiki’s disappearance from the wild, conservation breeding efforts launched in 2015 have prevented its complete extinction. As of September, 31 ʻakikiki remained in human care.
DLNR and conservation partners, including the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Honolulu Zoo, are pursuing emergency breeding programs, relocation efforts and expanded mosquito control to protect Hawaiʻi’s remaining forest birds.
“Mosquito control, conservation breeding and translocations each play an important role in our conservation strategy,” said DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife Administrator Marigold Zoll.
The public can learn more about these efforts during “Wings & Woodlands: A Tribute to Native Birds and Forests,” KFBRP’s annual bird art exhibition, scheduled for Nov. 6–12 at the Kauaʻi Society of Artists gallery in Kukui Grove Center.
While the findings underscore the devastating effects of avian malaria, questions remain about the long-term effectiveness of mosquito suppression efforts and whether surviving native forest birds can recover in their natural habitats.
For additional information about native forest bird conservation, visit Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project.
Westside Ledger will continue following these conservation efforts, including the results of mosquito-control initiatives underway in Kauaʻi’s mountainous forests.
Source: Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, Nov. 5, 2026.