{"id":144663,"date":"2021-07-08T09:00:17","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T19:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=144663"},"modified":"2021-07-08T11:31:22","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T21:31:22","slug":"uau-observed-on-maunakea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/07\/08\/uau-observed-on-maunakea\/","title":{"rendered":"First endangered \u02bbua\u02bbu observed on Maunakea in more than 60 years"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_61636\"  width=\"676\" height=\"676\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iVYA99GvsiI?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"First endangered \u02bbua\u02bbu observed on Maunakea in more than 60 years\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hilo.hawaii.edu\/\">University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo<\/a> researchers located an endangered native seabird called the <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> and a nesting site on Maunakea in May 2021. Active <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> (also known as the Hawaiian petrel or <em>Pterodroma sandwichensis<\/em>) have not been recorded on the mauna since 1954.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When we saw them for the first time it was almost a moment of disbelief,&rdquo; said conservationist <strong>Bret Nainoa Mossman<\/strong>, a <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> Hilo alumnus who along with <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo researcher <strong>Patrick Hart<\/strong> spent years enduring frigid conditions after sundown on Maunakea searching for the seabirds. &ldquo;We had been looking for them for so long that they were kind of like this ghost that we were just chasing on the mauna. To actually see them, just like really connected the dots and really cemented how important what we were doing really is because no one else was looking for these birds for quite a long time.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hilo-maunakea-uau-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Uau, Hawaiian petrel\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-144735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hilo-maunakea-uau-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hilo-maunakea-uau-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hilo-maunakea-uau.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo Office of Maunakea Management (presently, the <a href=\"https:\/\/hilo.hawaii.edu\/maunakea\/\">Center for Maunakea Stewardship<\/a>) has funded research of native Hawaiian birds and Hawaiian hoary bats, at high elevations since 2017 to determine if <abbr>UH<\/abbr> managed lands provides habitat for these native animals and to fulfill management actions identified in the Maunakea Comprehensive Management Plan. <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo researchers spotted the <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> on a Department of Hawaiian Homelands (<abbr>DHHL<\/abbr>) protected parcel that borders <abbr>UH<\/abbr> managed lands on Maunakea.<\/p>\n<p>Using sound recorders, infrared and thermal imagery, researchers scanned remote locations for <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> and first detected flight activity in April 2021 on <abbr>DHHL<\/abbr>-managed lands on Maunakea. <abbr>DHHL<\/abbr> staff and researchers then discovered a nest burrow and worked to set up traps to deter prime predators such as cats and mongoose who are known to feast on <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> chicks and adults. The undisclosed location of the seabird\u2019s nesting site falls within the department\u2019s zoned conservation lands planned for m\u0101mane forest restoration.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Land and Natural Resources has provided predator traps and a camera to capture <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> activity.<\/p>\n<h2>Expanding <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> protection<\/h2>\n<p>The <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> forage at sea and fly inland after sunset to build underground nests in higher elevation areas throughout the Hawaiian Islands, including <span aria-label=\"Kauai\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span>, Haleakal\u0101 on Maui, Maunaloa on <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island and <span aria-label=\"Lanaihale\">L\u0101na&#699;ihale<\/span> on <span aria-label=\"Lanai\">L\u0101na&#699;i<\/span>. They are currently listed as an endangered species under state and federal policies.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hilo-maunakea-uau-bw-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Uau, Hawaiian petrel\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-144846\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hilo-maunakea-uau-bw-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hilo-maunakea-uau-bw-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hilo-maunakea-uau-bw.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The endangered seabird\u2019s Hawaiian name depicts its distinctive moaning. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/05\/15\/endangered-seabird-heard-on-maunakea\/\">The <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> has been detected acoustically by the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo Listening Observatory for Hawaiian Ecosystems Bioacoustics Lab since 2018<\/a> at many locations near Maunakea\u2019s <span aria-label=\"Puukanakaleonui\">Pu&#699;ukanakaleonui<\/span>. Rediscovering <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> on Maunakea indicates the species likely continues to use the mountain as a nesting site.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If we can identify where the populations are, that\u2019s the first step in being able to preserve them,&rdquo; said Hart. &ldquo;The best way to do that is to remove the threats to them by putting up a predator proof fence that protects them when they nest.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During their research surveys, Hart and his team have also detected calls of the <span aria-label=\"Akeake\">&#699;Ak&#275;&#699;ak&#275;<\/span> (\u200bBand-rumped storm petrel), another endangered native seabird. <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo researchers will continue to search for <span aria-label=\"uau\">&#699;ua&#699;u<\/span> and other native birds on Maunakea through the end of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo researchers have conducted research on the mauna since 2017 and spotted the native Hawaiian seabird in May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,12],"tags":[254,665,659,14,56],"class_list":["post-144663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","category-video","tag-biology","tag-conservation","tag-maunakea","tag-uh-hilo","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144663"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144851,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144663\/revisions\/144851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}