Hawaii’s honeycreepers are found nowhere else on Earth and make up an integral part of the ecosystem. The birds help pollinate Hawaii’s native plants, eat insects and support the forest. Those forests also filter the rainfall that provides drinking water to many communities.
As honeycreepers have steadily disappeared, conservationists have made a difficult call. When it’s clear a bird will vanish, the remaining few are brought into captivity for safe-keeping at the Maui Bird Conservation Center, which is part of the San Diego Zoo wildlife Alliance.
“We call our program an intensive care unit,” says Jennifer Pribble, wildlife care supervisor at the center. “This is the last resort.”
The cluster of buildings in upcountry Maui is home to some of the rarest birds on the planet. There’s the 'alalā, the Hawaiian crow, which is extinct in the wild. The calls of the chatty, intelligent birds can be heard echoing between the buildings.
There's also the 'akikiki, a pale gray bird that’s likely to go extinct on its home island of Kauai sometime this year. In a tall enclosure, the tiny birds hop from branch to branch.
“Fifteen years ago, the population was over a thousand,” Pribble says. “Today there’s anywhere from two to five birds left in the wild.”
Just over 40 'akikiki in captivity represent essentially the entire population of the species, which is split between the Maui bird center and a facility on another island. So every bird matters. When the Maui wildfires hit in August 2023, a fire began not far from the center. Pribble, who lives at the facility, realized at 3am that the flames were just across the road, spewing embers.
夏威夷的蜜旋木雀是地球上独一无二的物种，也是生态系统不可或缺的一部分。这些鸟类有助于为夏威夷的本土植物授粉，捕食昆虫并支持森林生态系统。同时，这些森林还过滤雨水，为许多社区提供饮用水。
随着蜜旋木雀数量的稳步减少，保护主义者做出了艰难的决定。当某种鸟类显然即将灭绝时，剩余的少数几只会被带到茂宜岛鸟类保护中心进行圈养保护，该中心是圣地亚哥动物园野生动物联盟的一部分。
“我们称我们的项目为重症监护室，”该中心的野生动物护理主管詹妮弗·普里布尔说。“这是最后的手段。”
茂宜岛上的一群建筑是地球上一些最稀有鸟类的家园。其中包括夏威夷乌鸦“阿拉拉”，这种乌鸦在野外已经灭绝。在这些建筑之间，可以听到这些爱说话的聪明鸟儿的叫声在回荡。
还有“阿基基基”，这是一种浅灰色的鸟类，今年很可能在其故乡考艾岛灭绝。在高高的围栏内，这些小鸟在树枝间跳跃。
“十五年前，该物种的数量超过一千只，”普里布尔说。“如今，野外仅剩下两到五只。”
圈养中的40多只“阿基基基”基本上代表了该物种的全部种群，它们被分别安置在茂宜岛鸟类保护中心和另一个岛屿的设施中。因此，每一只鸟都至关重要。2023年8月，茂宜岛发生野火，火势迅速蔓延至保护中心附近。住在该设施的普里布尔在凌晨3点意识到，火势已经蔓延到马路对面，火苗和火星四处飞溅。
