Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
Endemic to Maui, the last confirmed record of Maui Akepa was two birds seen in 1988 (Engilis 1990) with later unconfirmed records of birds sound recorded in 1994 and 1995 (Reynolds and Snetsinger 2001). There have been no records since, despite extensive searches. Following methods developed in a series of papers published in 2017 (Akcakaya et al. 2017, Keith et al. 2017, Thompson et al. 2017), the probability that the species is extinct based on records and surveys is 0.93, and the probability it is extinct based on threats is 0.94. Accordingly, it is classified as Extinct.
Population justification
Following methods developed in a series of papers published in 2017 (Akcakaya et al. 2017, Keith et al. 2017, Thompson et al. 2017), the probability that this species is extinct based on records and surveys is 0.93, and the probability it is extinct based on threats is 0.94. It is accordingly considered Extinct and the population size is set to 0 mature individuals. The last confirmed record of Loxops ochraceus was of two birds seen in 1988 (Engilis 1990) with later unconfirmed records of birds sound recorded in 1994 and 1995 (Reynolds and Snetsinger 2001). Visual confirmation of records is required due to potential confusion with, or mimicry by, Pseudonestor xanthophrys (Reynolds and Snetsinger 2001). L. ochraceus were described as locally abundant in 1894 (Perkins 1903) and a flock of more than 100 in 1961 led Bole (1961) to conclude they were not rare on Maui.
In addition to the extinction probability analysis used here, the USFWS (2023) has now delisted L. ochraceus from the Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants due to presumed extinction.
Trend justification
This species is considered extinct. The last confirmed record of Loxops ochraceus was of two birds seen in 1988 (Engilis 1990) with later unconfirmed records of birds sound recorded in 1994 and 1995 (Reynolds and Snetsinger 2001).
Loxops ochraceus was endemic to Maui, Hawaiian Islands, U.S.A. Most specimens were obtained above Olinda, although some were taken from Kipahulu Valley (Pyle and Pyle 2017). Between 1950 and 1995, Loxops ochraceus were observed on the upper slopes of Haleakala, Kipahulu Valley and Ko'olau Forest Reserve. The last confirmed record in 1988 was in Hanawi Natural Area Reserve; an unconfirmed audio recording in 1994 was taken during a Rare Bird Search survey, also from Hanawi Natural Area Reserve. An unconfirmed 1995 recording was taken in Kipahulu Valley (Reynolds and Snetsinger 2001).
It is suspected to have inhabited similar habitat to L. coccineus: wet and mesic forest, primarily of koa-'ohi'a at 1,100-2,100 m (mostly above 1,500 m) (Scott et al. 1986, Lepson and Freed 2020). Foraging habits also presumed to have been similar to L. coccineus. It fed mostly on caterpillars and spiders and used its laterally asymmetric bill to prize open leaf and flower buds in a manner akin to crossbills (Loxia spp.) (Lepson and Freed 2020).
Since the arrival of humans in the Hawaiian Archipelago, Hawai’i’s forest birds have undergone tremendous losses and face a panoply of threats. At least 71 taxa of Hawaiian birds disappeared before the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1778, 24 more have been extirpated since (Banko and Banko 2009).
With the arrival of the Polynesians between 1000 and 1200 CE, almost all lowland forests were felled and burned to make way for agriculture (Kirch 1982). This loss continued with the arrival of European and American settlers. Forests continued to be cleared until only high-elevation forest remained. Much of the forest that remains has been invaded by non-native species.
Hawai’i has a long history of non-native species. When the Polynesians arrived, they brought with them pigs Sus scrofa, dogs Canis familiaris and Polynesian Rats Rattus exulans. With the Europeans and Americans came Black R. rattus and Brown Rats R. norvegicus, cats Felis catus, mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus, feral goats Capra hircus, cattle Bos taurus, deer Axis axis, more than 50 species of birds (Atkinson and Lapointe 2009), plants, invertebrates, and diseases. Introduced ungulates have severely damaged forest structure through herbivory and the dispersal of invasive plants, rendering it far less suitable for Maui Akepa and other forest birds. Rats, cats and mongoose predate both nests and adult birds (Lindsey et al. 2009), while non-native birds may also compete with them for food and nest-sites (Foster 2009). Non-native avian diseases introduced to Hawai'i are some of the most pervasive threats faced by native birds and are likely to be the main cause of many previous extinctions.
Both avian malaria Plasmodium relictum and avian pox Avipoxvirus spp. are transmitted by the Southern House Mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus, currently climatically restricted to elevations below 1,500 m and responsible for the disappearance of many highly susceptible Hawaiian forest birds from elevations below this. Maui still retains some forest above 1,500 m, offering some refugia from these fatal diseases. However, the quality and intactness of this forest is less than pristine. Wallows created by feral pigs provide additional breeding habitats for Culex and allow it to infiltrate deeper into forests (Lapointe et al. 2009). As the climate warms the elevational limits of Culex will shift upslope and the area of suitable, mosquito-free forest will shrink even more (Lapointe and Atkinson 2009).
10cm. Small honeycreeper with conical, laterally asymmetrical, bill with mandibles crossed at the tip. Sexually dimorphic and male has two colour morphs. Red-morph males are bright red-orange with dark brown primaries, secondaries, wing-coverts and tail feathers edged in red-orange. Yellow-morph males are a bright mustard yellow instead of red-orange. 10% of males are intermediate between the two morphs (Lepson and Freed 2020). Females are dull grey-green, darker above and paler below, with yellow throat patch. Juveniles akin to females but lacking yellow throat patch. All forms have pale grey bills, black legs and dark irises.
Text account compilers
Nesbit, D., Vine, J.
Contributors
Baker, H.C., Baker, P.E., Camp, R., Freed, L., Fretz, S., Gorresen, M., Lepson, J., Scott, J.M., VanderWerf, E., Woodworth, B., Hart, P., Farmer, C., Mounce, H., Derhé, M., Harding, M., Stuart, T., Stattersfield, A., Isherwood, I., Benstead, P., Capper, D., Mahood, S., Khwaja, N., Taylor, J., Calvert, R., Westrip, J.R.S. & Berthold, L.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Maui Akepa Loxops ochraceus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/maui-akepa-loxops-ochraceus on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.