Kauai Nukupuu
CR

Kauai Nukupuu

Hemignathus hanapepe

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaua%CA%BBi_nukupu%CA%BBu

Overview

The Kauaʻi nukupuʻu is an extinct species of nukupuʻu once found throughout parts of the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. It was an insect eater that picked out its tiny prey from tree bark. The males were yellowish with brown wings, while the females were grayish brown with a yellow throat streak.

The Kauai Nukupuu faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to invasive plant species that have altered native forest ecosystems, and introduced diseases like avian malaria and pox transmitted by non-native mosquitoes. Additional pressures include habitat degradation from feral ungulates, competition with introduced bird species, and the extremely small population size that makes the species vulnerable to stochastic events.

Threat summary

Other threatened species in Fringillidae

Pine GrosbeakVU

Pine Grosbeak

Pinicola enucleator

Unknown
OuCR

Ou

Psittirostra psittacea

Unknown
VU

European Serin

Serinus serinus

Unknown
Common RosefinchVU

Common Rosefinch

Carpodacus erythrinus

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Kauai Nukupuu classified as Critically Endangered?
Kauai Nukupuu is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. The Kauai Nukupuu faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to invasive plant species that have altered native forest ecosystems, and introduced diseases like avian malaria and pox transmitted by non-native mosquitoes. Additional pressures include habitat degradation from feral ungulates, competition with introduced bird species, and the extremely small population size that makes the species vulnerable to stochastic events.
Where does Kauai Nukupuu live?
Kauai Nukupuu occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Kauai Nukupuu?
The main threats to Kauai Nukupuu are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.