Why Ae’o almost disappeared
Imagine a bird that was so close to extinction that there were only a few hundred left in the entire world. But the hard work of scientists and the magic of innovation have brought them back in droves, and the same bird is now thriving across parts of its native habitat decades later.
This remarkable comeback is represented by the aeʻo, or Hawaiian stilt, a graceful, long-legged shorebird, whose recovery is now hailed as one of Hawaii’s conservation success stories. According to reports, after more than 50 years of habitat restoration and wildlife management, the aeʻo have reached a major milestone in their journey to recovery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reclassified the bird from vulnerable to endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Scroll down to read more about this change of fate.
From just 200 birds to more than 1,500
The aeʻo was reported to be common throughout the Hawaiian Islands, but its numbers declined dramatically in the 20th century. By the 1940s, experts believed there were only about 200 birds left in the wild. This number has since swelled to more than 1,500, a significant increase achieved through decades of coordinated conservation efforts. The new designation reflects the species’ steady recovery, but also indicates that it still needs protection.
This was announced in the Federal Register earlier this month.
Why Ae’o almost disappeared
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its findings
While the Hawaiian stilt is on the verge of extinction due to a variety of human and environmental factors, overhunting, conversion of wetlands to agriculture and urban development have historically destroyed much of the birds’ natural habitat, the report states. Meanwhile, invasive predators such as mice, mongooses, cats and other introduced animals prey on eggs and chicks, making successful reproduction increasingly difficult.
In 1973, the aeʻo were listed as endangered, due to the severity of their decline, and long-term recovery programs were put in place to protect the birds and their habitats.
Encouraging results after 50 years of research
According to online media reports, new scientific research conducted by the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience supports the decision to list this species. The study, published in the journal Ornithological Applications, analyzed more than 50 years of nesting records from more than 2,000 nests across nine wetlands on Oahu from 1963 to 2020, and researchers found consistent improvements in nest success and chick survival over time, evidence that habitat restoration and predator management were key to the birds’ recovery.
Restoring wetlands was the difference
How wetland restoration has helped
If conservationists are to be believed, they credit wetland restoration with being a major factor in the aeʻo’s return. Decades of rehabilitation of degraded wetlands, careful management of water levels and control of invasive predators are said to have created safer breeding grounds. Scientists have also seen birds rapidly return to restored wetlands, including indigenous wetland agricultural systems that were once part of Hawaii’s traditional landscape.
“This is an illuminating story,” said Melissa Price, an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Hawaii.
Is recovery the end of the mission?
Collaborative conservation success story
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed a species-specific rule to allow continued habitat restoration and management activities while maintaining protections under the Endangered Species Act to facilitate continued recovery. “This is just a step in a much longer conservation journey,” said lead author Jessica Edel, director of the University of Hawaii’s Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit at Manoa. But the bottom menu is not the end of the work.
This means that the business is working. “Continued monitoring and management, particularly by increasing protected wetland habitat, will be critical to sustaining population growth.”
