Po’ouli Bird Feared Extinct on Haleakala

The New York Times reports a bird, a po’ouli, the last known member of its genus and species, died in its cage on Maui on Nov. 26. The bird is a shy, nearly silent brown bird with a black face that lived on the upper slopes of the Haleakala volcano, climbing tree trunks and eating insects and snails. The species was not discovered until 1973, when it was already in a death spiral. In 30 years its numbers fell from a few dozen to three. The other two are feared dead.