Nihoa Millerbird
Encyclopedia
The Nihoa Millerbird is a subspecies of the Millerbird
. It gets its name from its preferred food, the Miller moth. The five-inch long Millerbird has dark, sepia
-colored feathers, white belly, and dark beak. Its natural geographic range is limited to the tiny island
of Nihoa
in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
, and it is hoped that birds translocated to Laysan
will help to ensure the survival of the species. The Nihoa Millerbird is one of the two endemic birds remaining on Nihoa, the other being the Nihoa Finch
.
Only 200– 900 Nihoa Millerbirds persist on the island, making the species seriously endangered. It is always at risk of extinction from environmental changes (droughts, fires, insect population irruptions), because flight away from the island would likely prove fatal. The Laysan Millerbird
, now extinct, was closely related.http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/wesa/millerbirdniho.html#
The trinomial commemorates Samuel Wilder King
, captain of the Tanager Expedition
and later Governor of Hawaii.
in September 2011 after years of planning with the aim of establishing a second population of the species on Laysan. The birds were provided with different combinations of coloured leg bands to help identification of individual birds.
Millerbird
The Millerbird is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It had 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...
. It gets its name from its preferred food, the Miller moth. The five-inch long Millerbird has dark, sepia
Sepia (color)
Sepia is a dark brown-grey color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish Sepia.The word sepia is the Latinized form of the Greek σηπία, sēpía, cuttlefish.-Sepia in human culture:...
-colored feathers, white belly, and dark beak. Its natural geographic range is limited to the tiny island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of Nihoa
Nihoa
Nihoa , also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is the largest and tallest of ten islands and atolls in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands . The island is located at the southern end of the NWHI chain, southeast of Necker Island...
in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
, and it is hoped that birds translocated to Laysan
Laysan
Laysan , located northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of , about 1 by 1.5 miles in size . It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds a shallow central lake some above sea level that has...
will help to ensure the survival of the species. The Nihoa Millerbird is one of the two endemic birds remaining on Nihoa, the other being the Nihoa Finch
Nihoa Finch
The Nihoa Finch 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...
.
Only 200– 900 Nihoa Millerbirds persist on the island, making the species seriously endangered. It is always at risk of extinction from environmental changes (droughts, fires, insect population irruptions), because flight away from the island would likely prove fatal. The Laysan Millerbird
Laysan Millerbird
The Laysan Millerbird was a subspecies of the Millerbird, similar in appearance to the remaining subspecies, the Nihoa Millerbird. Its dorsal side was brown, and its belly was grayish...
, now extinct, was closely related.http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/wesa/millerbirdniho.html#
The trinomial commemorates Samuel Wilder King
Samuel Wilder King
Samuel Wilder King was the eleventh Territorial Governor of Hawaii and served from 1953 to 1957. He was appointed to the office after the term of Oren E. Long. Previously, King served in the United States House of Representatives as a delegate from the Territory of Hawaii...
, captain of the Tanager Expedition
Tanager Expedition
The Tanager Expedition was a series of five biological surveys of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands conducted in partnership between the Bureau of Biological Survey and the Bishop Museum, with the assistance of the U.S. Navy. Four expeditions occurred from April to August 1923, and a fifth in July...
and later Governor of Hawaii.
Conservation
24 Nihoa Millerbirds were translocated by ship about 650 miles from Nihoa to LaysanLaysan
Laysan , located northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of , about 1 by 1.5 miles in size . It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds a shallow central lake some above sea level that has...
in September 2011 after years of planning with the aim of establishing a second population of the species on Laysan. The birds were provided with different combinations of coloured leg bands to help identification of individual birds.