The ʻIʻiwi Bird

Native to Hawaii, the colourful ʻIʻiwi bird or scarlet honeycreeper is seriously endangered due to habitat loss and climate change.

ʻIʻiwi were once found on all of the main Hawaiian islands. Today, most of the ʻIʻiwi population hangs on in higher-altitude forests (4,300 to 6,200 feet) on Maui, Hawaiʻi, and Kauaʻi, with a remnant population on Oʻahu and Molokaʻi. They are found nowhere else in the world. Research has shown that 90 percent of ʻIʻiwi bitten by a single malaria-infected mosquito die from the disease. Climate change is compounding this threat, as warming temperatures allow mosquitoes to move into higher elevators, including into forest birds' remaining mountain strongholds.