Experiments at Makauwahi Cave Help Conserve Endangered Thrush
The highly endangered Puaiohi (Myadestes palmeri) is a common bird fossil in the sinkhole sediments at Makauwahi Cave. However, only a few hundred individuals survive in the wild today, restricted to a small area of Koke`e State Park and adjacent Alaka`i Swamp, due to a myriad of natural and anthropogenic causes. A major problem for this small native thrush (that nests in rock crevices) is that introduced rats have been raiding their nests and killing both young and adult females. To combat this threat, the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife designed birdhouses that the Puaiohi is happy to use, but the rats are still a problem.
Experimental birdhouse at Makauwahi Cave.