This is Bird Note.

The Hawaiian islands are home to many birds that don't exist anywhere else on Earth.

Native forest songbirds like the Kiwi Q, formerly called the Maui Parrot Bill, once thrived on the islands.

Now, they are critically endangered.

KiwiQ co-evolved over millennia with the remarkable plants and insects in their unique

island habitats. They're about the size of a sparrow, with yellowish olive green feathers that

blend into the foliage.

The Kiwi Q's parrot-like bill is perfectly adapted to chisel, crack, and tear apart bark

in search of grubs.

They sometimes enjoy flower nectar, too.

Keeby Q typically raised just one chick a year, and the parents will spend another year

teaching their young

how to forage with that distinctive bill.

Like many of Maui's native birds, KeebQ have been devastated by avian malaria and other fatal

diseases spread by invasive mosquitoes.

These days, the tiny remaining Kivak population is restricted to less than 11 square miles

of high elevation forests on the slopes of Haleaka-Law.

Habitat protection and mosquito control are crucial for conserving Hawaii's extraordinary ecosystems,

so birds like the Kivu can sing out from the forests for years to come.

For bird note, I'm Mark Bramhill.