It’s not often that a bird is declared extinct three times, but a tiny honeyeater, known as the Kauai ō’ō, happens to be the holder of that dubious honor.

In the 1940s, the bird, endemic to Kauai, was proclaimed extinct, only to be rediscovered some 20 years later. Then, in the late 1960s, the little honeyeater, was again thought to be extinct, until a much alive pair showed up in 1981.

Hurricane Iwa hit the Islands in 1982 and after that, the female of the pair was never seen again. The male was sighted once more in 1985. Two years later, a sound recording was made of him calling for his mate. Despite repeated searches, there has been no trace of any honeyeater on Kauai since 1987. The final extinction notice was called in 2000 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

As with every extinction, more than one event caused the Kauai ‘ō’ō’s disappearance. Predators, such as rats, the mongoose, domestic cats, along with habitat altering invasive plants took a toll. Certainly, mosquito borne diseases added to the loss of the birds.

The non-native southern house mosquito arrived in Hawaii in1826, rapidly inhabiting every island. Then, avian malaria came to Hawaii. Two diseases, the avian malaria, as well as avian pox, are spread by the mosquitos. One bite from an infected mosquito can kill a bird.

Both mosquitoes and the malaria pathogen need warm temperatures to reproduce. Because of their cooler climate, the higher mountains of Kauai provided safe forested zones, sheltering the Kauai ‘ō’ō, as well as other species of birds. Along came climate change, raising the ambient mountain temperatures just enough for the mosquitos, and the pathogen, to thrive.

Recently, a collaboration of state, federal, nonprofit partners, known as Birds, Not Mosquitoes (BNM) began working on a form of mosquito birth control. It has been found that, for mosquitos to produce viable eggs, both male and female must carry the same strain of a common bacteria.

Male mosquitos do not bite, so millions of lab-bred males having a different strain of bacteria from the native females, can be safely released into the wild. Their numbers will overwhelm the local male population. Female mosquitos mating with the incompatible laboratory males then lay eggs which do not hatch. After a few releases, mosquito numbers will naturally decline, saving birds from sickness and death.

It’s been confirmed that at least 71 species of birds have been lost since humans first set foot on these islands. Nothing will bring them back. Maybe it is now up to all of us to help insure the health and well being of our remaining bird population.

Small actions can bring big rewards. The Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project’s web site lists a few simple steps to take that can help this Garden Island’s native birds continue to thrive.

It holds true that deeds, seemingly inconsequential to us, can mean everything to a bird.