Endemic Animals of Hawaiian Is.

The Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis ), also known as the Laysan teal, is a dabbling duck endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Fossil evidence reveals that Laysan ducks once lived across the entire archipelago, but today survive only on Laysan Island and two atolls. The duck has several physical and behavioral traits linked to the absence of ground-based predators in its habitat. By 1860, the ducks had disappeared from everywhere except Laysan Island. ...
The introduction of European rabbits by guano miners at the end of the 19th century brought the bird to the brink of extinction in 1912, with twelve surviving individuals. Rabbits were eradicated from the island in 1923 and numbers of Laysan ducks began to rise, reaching 500 by the 1950s. In an effort to ensure the long-term future of this duck, 42 birds were translocated to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 2002. These thrived in their new surroundings, and another group were later relocated to Kure Atoll. Less

The ʻiʻiwi (Drepanis coccinea, pronounced, ee-EE-vee ) or scarlet honeycreeper is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. The ʻiʻiwi is a highly recognizable symbol of Hawaiʻi. The ʻiʻiwi is the third most common native land bird in the Hawaiian Islands. Less

The Hawaiian coot (Fulica alai ), also known as the ʻalae kea in Hawaiian, is a bird in the rail family, Rallidae, that is endemic to Hawaiʻi. In Hawaiian, ʻalae is a noun and means mud hen. Kea or its synonym keo is an adjective for white.It is similar to the American coot at 33–40.6 cm (13–16 in) in length and weighing around 700 g (1 lb 9 oz). It has black plumage and a prominent white frontal shield. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes, fres ...
hwater marshes, coastal saline lagoons, and water storage areas. The bird was federally listed in October 1970 as an endangered species and is considered both endemic and endangered by the state of Hawaii. It is threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators such as the small Asian mongoose.The Makalawena Marsh on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi has been listed as a National Natural Landmark to preserve one of its last nesting areas. Less

Euprymna scolopes, also known as the Hawaiian bobtail squid, is a species of bobtail squid in the family Sepiolidae native to the central Pacific Ocean, where it occurs in shallow coastal waters off the Hawaiian Islands and Midway Island. The type specimen was collected off the Hawaiian Islands and is deposited at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.Euprymna scolopes grows to 30 mm (1.2 in) in mantle length. Hatchlings w ...
eigh 0.005 g (0.00018 oz) and mature in 80 days. Adults weigh up to 2.67 g (0.094 oz).In the wild, E. scolopes feeds on species of shrimp, including Halocaridina rubra, Palaemon debilis, and Palaemon pacificus. In the laboratory, E. scolopes has been reared on a varied diet of animals, including mysids (Anisomysis sp.), brine shrimp (Artemia salina ), mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis ), prawns (Leander debilis ), and octopuses (Octopus cyanea ).The Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi ) preys on E. scolopes in northwestern Hawaiian waters.On June 3, 2021, SpaceX CRS-22 launched E. scolopes, along with tardigrades, to the International Space Station. The squid were launched as hatchlings and will be studied to see if they can incorporate their symbiotic bacteria into their light organ while in space. Less

The palila (Loxioides bailleui ) is a critically endangered finch-billed species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It has a golden-yellow head and breast, with a light belly, gray back, and greenish wings and tail. The bird has a close ecological relationship with the māmane tree (Sophora chrysophylla ), and became endangered due to destruction of the trees and accompanying dry forests. The first specimen of the palila was collected in 1876 at the ...
Greenwell Ranch on the Big Island by Pierre Étienne Théodore Ballieu (1828–1885), who was French consul in Hawai‘i from 1869 to 1878. The type specimen (No. 1876-645) is housed at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. Less

The Hawaiian petrel or ʻuaʻu (Pterodroma sandwichensis ) is a large, dark grey-brown and white petrel that is endemic to Hawaiʻi. Less

The ʻakiapōlāʻau (Hemignathus wilsoni ), pronounced ah-kee-ah-POH-LAH-OW, is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper that is endemic to the island of Hawaii. Its natural habitats are dry and montane moist forests, and the only bird species on the island to occupy the woodpecker niche. The bird is 5.5 inches (14 cm) in length, and has an unusually curved beak-(a specialist species). The ʻakiapolaʻau is a pudgy bird which has a whitish bottom and tail, black ...
legs, yellow chest, orangish head, black face mask and bill and gray black wings. The male's song is either a loud, short pit-er-ieu or a rapid warba-warba. Its various calls include an upslurred whistle, a short cheedle-ee warble, and a short sweet. Due to the recent disappearance of the Kauai nukupuʻu in the 1900s and the Maui nukupuʻu in the 1990s, leading to fears that they may be extinct, the ʻakiapōlāʻau may be the last of its genus. It is the only member of the subgenus Heterorhynchus, which has a woodpecker-like feeding habitat and exclusively preys on insects, in contrast to the nukupu'us, which were both insect-eaters and also hummingbird-like nectarivores. Less

The Oʻahu ʻamakihi (Chlorodrepanis flava ) is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the family Fringillidae. The male is rich yellow below, sharply contrasted with greenish upper parts. Females are duller and have two prominent wing-bars. It has a total length of approximately 4.5 inches (11 cm). It is endemic to the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi, and is likely the only surviving honeycreeper endemic to the island. Less

The Laysan finch (Telespiza cantans ) is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, that is endemic to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It is one of four remaining finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreepers and is closely related to the smaller Nihoa finch. The Laysan finch is named for Laysan, the island to which it was endemic on its discovery. It was subsequently introduced to a few other atolls, and its historical range included some of the main islands. Less

The Maui parrotbill or kiwikiu (Pseudonestor xanthophrys ) is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper endemic to the island of Maui in Hawaii. It can only be found in 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) of mesic and wet forests at 1,200–2,150 metres (3,940–7,050 ft) on the windward slopes of Haleakalā. This species is critically endangered, with an estimated population in 2016 of 250-540 individuals, but more recent estimates of less than 150 individ ...
uals. Fossil evidence indicates that the bird could at one time be seen in dry forests at elevations as low as 200–300 metres (660–980 ft), as well as on the island of Molokaʻi. Less

The Nihoa finch (Telespiza ultima ) is one of the two endemic bird species of the tiny Hawaiian island Nihoa, the other being the Nihoa millerbird. When it was classified in 1917, scientists thought that it would be the last endemic species named. This was later found untrue. The island's population is 1000–3000 birds. The Nihoa finch was added to the Endangered Species List by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on March 11, 1967. An attempt to p ...
rotect the species against extinction was made by starting a colony on French Frigate Shoals, another leeward island. This would ensure its continued existence in case the Nihoa population was wiped out. This attempt, however, failed. Nihoa is part of a group of islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge which provides protected land for the Nihoa finch to roam on. Less

The ʻākohekohe (Palmeria dolei ), or crested honeycreeper, is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It is endemic to the island of Maui in Hawaiʻi. The ʻākohekohe is susceptible to mosquito‐transmitted avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum ) and only breeds in high‐elevation wet forests (> 1715 m). Less

The ʻakikiki (Oreomystis bairdi ), also called the Kauaʻi creeper, is a critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper endemic to Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi. Less

The puaiohi (Myadestes palmeri ), or small Kauaʻi thrush, is a rare species of songbird in the thrush family, Turdidae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. It is closely related to the other three endemic Hawaiian thrushes, the kāmaʻo, olomaʻo, and ʻōmaʻo. It was first collected by Henry Palmer in 1891 at Halemanu around the entrance to the Kōkeʻe State Park. Less

The millerbird (Acrocephalus familiaris ) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It has two subspecies, A. f. kingi and A f. familiaris. The latter, the Laysan millerbird, became extinct sometime between 1916 and 1923. The former, the critically endangered Nihoa millerbird, remains the only race left, inhabiting the small island Nihoa in Hawaiʻi, though it has since been reintroduced to Laysan. It is the only Old World ...
warbler to have colonised Hawaiʻi, although there is no fossil evidence that the species ever had a distribution beyond these two islands.Millerbirds form long-term pair bonds and defend territories over a number of years. Territories can be as large as 0.95 hectares (2.3 acres), although 0.19–0.40 hectares (0.47–0.99 acres) is more typical. Breeding occurs variably from January to September depending on food availability. Less

The ʻanianiau (pronounced ) (Magumma parva ) is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper that is endemic to upper elevation forests on the island of Kauai.This species seems to be rather distantly related to the typical Hemignathini (such as the ʻamakihis and nukupuʻus). It is placed in the monotypic genus Magumma. Less

The Kauaʻi ʻamakihi (Chlorodrepanis stejnegeri ) is a species of Hawaiian honeycreepers endemic to Kauaʻi in the family Fringillidae. The species Hawaiian name is associated with is Kihikihi, or kihi, which stems from the word amakihi. Kihikihi, meaning curved, makes a reference to the bill of the Kauaʻi ʻamakihi. The Kauaʻi ʻamakihi has similar physical features to an extinct species, the Kauaʻi nukupuʻu. When flying or feeding, the Kaua’i ‘amakihi l ...
ets out a distinguishing tweet. Less

The Kauaʻi ʻelepaio (Chasiempis sclateri ) is a monarch flycatcher found on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. It numbered 40,000 around 1970, but declined by half in the 1990s. Whether this fluctuation is natural and thus the birds' numbers will rebound or whether it signifies a novel threat remains to be seen. However, it seems the birds are making a recovery, as population density on the Alakai plateau has increased by 13% in recent years. Less

The ʻakekeʻe (Loxops caeruleirostris ) is a bird species in the family Fringillidae, where it is placed in the Hawaiian honeycreeper genus Loxops. It is endemic to the island of Kauaʻi where it is found in small numbers in higher elevations. Because of their similar size, shape, and unusual bill, the ʻakekeʻe and the ʻakepa (Loxops coccineus ) were for some time classified as a single species. This was eventually changed, because of differences in th ...
eir color, nesting behavior, and calls. Less

The Maui ʻalauahio (Paroreomyza montana ), also known as the Maui Nui ʻalauahio or Maui creeper, is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It is endemic to Maui Nui, Hawaii. The name Maui ʻalauahio is somewhat misleading because the species seems to have occurred on most, if not all, parts of the ancient Maui Nui, which includes the present day islands of Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe. There are two subspecies: the Lānaʻi ʻalauahio, P. montana m ...
ontana, which occurred on Lānaʻi (extinct); and P. montana newtoni which occurs on Maui. The common name refers to both groups. Less

The Oʻahu ʻelepaio (Chasiempis ibidis ) is a monarch flycatcher found on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. Less

Asperoteuthis mangoldae, previously known as Asperoteuthis sp. A , is a chiroteuthid squid known only from the waters off the Hawaiian Islands. It differs from the closely related Asperoteuthis acanthoderma in lacking integumental tubercles and elongate fins. This species also possesses a characteristic curved groove in its funnel locking apparatus.A. mangoldae is known from 18 specimens and was formally described in 2007. The holotype was ...
collected in 1972 in an opening-closing trawl at a depth of 820–870 m (2,690–2,850 ft) in Hawaiian waters. The coordinates of the type locality are 21°25′N 158°20.5′W / 21.417°N 158.3417°W / 21.417; -158.3417. The species was filmed alive for the first time in July 2019, recorded off Jarvis Island by the EV Nautilus at a depth of 930 m (3,050 ft). It was identified as A. mangoldae by Michael Vecchione, an American zoologist who contributed to the description of the species.The specific name honors Swiss marine biologist Dr. Katharina Mangold-Wirz (1922–2003), who worked at the Laboratoire Arago, Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Banyuls-sur-Mer, France. Dr Mangold spent a part of her career studying cephalopods in Hawaii. Less

Iridoteuthis iris is a species of bobtail squid native to the northern central Pacific Ocean; it occurs near the Hawaiian Islands off the southeast and northwest Hancock, Colahan, and Kammu seamounts. There exists a doubtful record from the Ceram Sea. Unlike most other bobtail squid, I. iris is pelagic and lives in the open ocean.Females of this species grow to 28 mm in mantle length (ML), while males are not known to exceed 24 mm ML.The type s ...
pecimen was collected off the south coast of Molokai in Hawaii. It was originally deposited at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., but is no longer extant. Less

Megalocranchia fisheri is a species of glass squid. Its natural range covers at least the waters off Hawaii. The species may attain a mantle length of 1.8 m (5.9 ft) and a total length of over 2.7 m (8.9 ft), making it one of the largest species of squid, together with the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni ), giant squid (Architeuthis sp.), and robust clubhook squid (Onykia robusta ). It inhabits surface and mid-depth waters of open oce ...
an. Juveniles live near the surface, while adults occupy mesopelagic depths during the day and migrate to near-surface waters at night. M. fisheri possesses two large light organs in the gill cavity. Females additionally have light organs on the ends of their third arm pair. As the animal matures, its fins become spear-like in appearance.It is possible that this taxon is conspecific with Megalocranchia abyssicola, in which case M. fisheri would become a junior synonym. Less