Reoccurrence of Omao in leeward woodland habitat and their distribution in alpine habitat on Hawaii Island
Judge SW, Gaudioso JM, Gorresen PM, Camp RJ. 2012. Reoccurrence of Omao in leeward woodland habitat and their distribution in alpine habitat on Hawaii Island. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 124(4):675-681
The endemic solitaire, Omao (Myadestes obscurus), is common in windward forests of Hawaii Island, but has been historically extirpated from leeward forests. The last detections of Omao on the leeward side of the island were in woodland habitat on the western flank of Mauna Loa in 1978. Omao were detected in woodland habitat in relatively low densities during a 2010 forest bird survey of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The source of the population is unknown. It is probable they originated from a documented but unsurveyed population of Omao in scrub alpine lava. Alternatively, the birds may have persisted undetected for nearly 35 years, or expanded from windward mesic forests on southeast Mauna Loa. There is no evidence Omao recolonized the wet mesic forests of leeward Mauna Loa. The Omao can occupy diverse native habitats compared to other species in the Hawaii Myadestes genus, of which most species are now extinct. The connectivity of each population is not understood but we assume there are significant geographic, physiological, and behavioral barriers for scrub alpine and wet mesic forest populations. The expansion of Omao to leeward woodlands is encouraging as the species is Hawaii Island’s last native frugivore capable of dispersing small and medium sized seeds of rare angiosperms, and could have an important role in re-establishing ecosystem function.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Judge, Seth; Gaudioso, Jacqueline; Gorresen, P.; Camp, Richard
- Units
- HAVO , PACN
- Keywords
- Forest birds, Habitat, inventory and monitoring program, landbirds monitoring report, Monitoring, Myadestes obscurus, Omao
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Birds