Habitat of Rare Hawaiian Forest Birds Expanding

Three species of Hawaii’s rarest forest birds have been found at the lowest elevations in three decades, giving researchers hope for their continued survival.

The rediscovery of the three species occurred at the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, which is located on the northeast slopes of  Mauna Kea, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Geological Survey said today.

The three species, the Hawaii creeper, Hawaii ‘akepa and ‘akiapola‘au, are believed to be highly susceptible to mosquito-transmitted diseases, including avian malaria.

It was thought the birds’ distribution was limited to cooler, higher elevations that are less favorable to mosquitoes.

Staff at the Hakalau refuge, which is controlled by the USFWS, heard the songs of the creeper and ‘akepa at the 4,200-foot elevation, within a mile of where they were last observed during a 1977 forest bird survey.

More importantly, scientists said, ‘akiapola‘au were heard and observed 1,000 feet lower in elevation from previous sightings in the 1970s.

They said these new observations significantly extend the current known range of these species at Hakalau.

“Hawaii’s native birds face multiple threats from habitat destruction, invasive species, introduced diseases, and climate change, with many already having been driven to extinction,” said USGS Director Marcia McNutt.

“The observation of three endangered species possibly expanding their range in a wildlife refuge gives us hope that with some care, the road to extinction need not be a one-way street,” she said.

Extensive forest bird surveys showed the area containing the refuge to be among the best-high-elevation rainforest habitats remaining in Hawaii, which led to the establishment of the Hakalau refuge in 1985. It is the only national wildlife refuge dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Hawaiian forest birds.

Continued:  http://bigislandnow.com/2012/06/25/habitat-of-rare-hawaiian-forest-birds-expanding/

2 rare Guam rail chicks hatch at National Zoo; bird is extinct in the wild

WASHINGTON — National Zoo officials say two rare Guam rail chicks have hatched there. The birds are extinct in the wild.

The small, flightless birds hatched March 3 and 4. The total population of the birds is now 162.

In several weeks, zookeepers will perform routine medical exams and take feather samples to determine the birds' sexes.

Eighty-two chicks have hatched at the Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. Some of have been sent o Guam for release and breeding.

Guam rails were plentiful on the island until the brown tree snake arrived in military equipment shipped from New Guinea after World War II. The snakes had no natural predators and hunted the Guam rails and eight other bird species to the brink of extinction.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/02d7b0678744424a9ba30e8d534bb60b/DC--Rare-Birds-Hatch/ 

Rare black eagle spotted after 90 years

NEW DELHI: It was a chance spotting and the group would have just walked past had the bird not taken a sudden flight. Amitava Misra and his friends, birding in the dense Aravali Biodiversity Park foliage earlier this month, saw a highly rare visitor to Delhi - the Indian Black Eagle. The last sighting record for this bird is for the winter of 1920-21, making it a 90 year gap between the last and the recent sighting. 

"We were about to finish birding for the day when we saw the bird perched on a tree right in front of us. We initially passed by thinking it was a Black Kite. However, suddenly the bird took flight and settled on another tree. It was then that we saw its non-forked tail, huge size and realized it was an eagle. Delhi has five to six species and we tried matching its features with all of those. However, since it did not match any of those, it could only be a Black Eagle," said Misra. 

None of us were able to identify the bird positively since nobody even thought that it was possible for it to be a Black Eagle, said Kanwar B Singh, an experienced birder who was part of the group. "The bird is usually found in cool forests, preferring rolling hills. We posted its pictures on the web and only then that we received a positive identification," he said. "It is difficult to say why a lone bird strayed towards Delhi but it could be because of an extended winter in the hills," Singh added. 

According to sources, the last positive sighting of the bird was by one Basin Edwardes in 1920-21. This reference has been quoted in 'A Guide to Birds of Delhi Area' (1975) by Usha Ganguly. However, even this reference has been disputed in Bill Harvey's 'Atlas of Birds of Delhi and Haryana' (2005). 

The bird is usually found between northeast Pakistan, along the base of the Himalayas from Himachal to Bhutan, in the south Assam hills to the Lushai hills, northeast peninsula in Odisa, the northeastern and southeastern Ghats and Sri Lanka. 


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Rare-black-eagle-spotted-after-90-years/articleshow/12011686.cms

Rare sandhill cranes winter on a pond in Baldwin County (with video)

Giant and pewter-gray, the birds towered over a flock of Canadian geese gathered at their feet in a marshy spot at the edge of a Baldwin County pond.

Once common throughout Alabama, but now rare enough that each sighting is noteworthy, the sandhill cranes snapped to sudden attention at the sound of a twig cracking in the woods 300 feet away.

All four birds gazed in the same direction, toward a pair of men dressed in full camouflage and well hidden in the underbrush. In unison, the skittish birds took to the air.

As they flew, an undulating and siren-like call spilled across the lake.

The cranes spiraled ever higher in lazy circles, their wings scarcely flapping as they rode the wind until they disappeared from view. Moments later, they soared back over the lake, a pair of buzzards flying with them.

Read on and watch video:  http://blog.al.com/live/2012/02/rare_sandhill_cranes_winter_on.html