First hatch of critically endangered species
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 05:00
in Biology & Nature
Six tiny nestlings at San Diego Zoo Global's facilities in Hawai'i are being closely watched by conservation biologists. These six chicks represent hope for a small Hawaiian bird species known as the 'Akikiki. The species is being brought into captivity to start a breeding population through a collaborative effort by the Kaua'i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP), State of Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources' (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office (USFWS-PIFWO) and San Diego Zoo Global. Eggs from 'Akikiki and 'Akeke'e nests were collected from the wild recently as part of an effort to preserve these two bird species from extinction.