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Manu Minute: The Nīhoa finch

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Nīhoa finches have black legs and large feet, with sturdy, seed-eater bills. They are smaller than their relatives, the Laysan finches.
Koa Matsuoka
/
HPR
Nīhoa finches have black legs and large feet, with sturdy, seed-eater bills. They are smaller than their relatives, the Laysan finches.

The Nīhoa finch is one of two endemic bird species that call Nīhoa Island home. About 3,000 finches live on the tiny island, which is now part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Although their population numbers are stable, Nīhoa finches are considered endangered due to the vulnerability of their habitat. One hurricane on Nīhoa Island could wipe out the entire species.

Scientists have tried to introduce Nīhoa finches to nearby Northwestern Hawaiian islands in order to make their population more resilient, but to no avail.

AMTJ_Manu Minute, Nihoa finch Spectrogram video.mp4

Audio credit:  Eric VanderWerf, Xeno Canto (XC144828)

Patrick Hart is the host of HPR's Manu Minute. He runs the Listening Observatory for Hawaiian Ecosystems (LOHE) Lab at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
Ann Tanimoto-Johnson is the Lab Manager & Research Technician in the Hart Lab/Listening Observatory for Hawaiian Ecosystems (LOHE) Bioacoustics Lab. She researches the ecology, bioacoustics, and conservation of our native Hawaiian forests, birds, and bats.
Savannah Harriman-Pote is the energy and climate change reporter. She is also the lead producer of HPR's "This Is Our Hawaiʻi" podcast. Contact her at sharrimanpote@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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