Lihue, Kaua’i - “Wings and Woodlands: A Tribute to Native Birds and Forests,” is the latest Makahiki o Na Manu Nahele event, a year-long celebration of these jewels of Hawai’i’s forests.

Kaua’i is home to eight species of forest birds, six of which are endemic to the island, meaning they are found nowhere else on the planet. Four of those species are endangered or threatened. Unfortunately, due to the impacts of mosquito-born avian malaria, several of these honeycreepers are on the verge of extinction, or in the case of the ‘akikiki, already “functionally extinct.”

All this week, the Wings and Woodlands art exhibit is showing at the Kaua’i Society of Artists (KSA) Gallery at Kukui Grove Center. The free exhibit features paintings and photographs contributed by artists from around Hawai’i, as well as from New York and California.

“We are closing out the Year of the Forest Birds by hosting this wonderful art exhibit. First and foremost, we are trying to celebrate our birds. We are trying to celebrate their beauty and when you look at all the beautiful art pieces here, you can see that they are inspiring,” said Dr. Julia Diegmann of the Kaua’i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) during a Friday night opening of the exhibit.

Diegmann said she is particularly thrilled with the amount of student produced artwork in the exhibit. In addition to open hours at the KSA Gallery through Friday, Nov. 8, there are showings of a recently released documentary on Hawaiian forest birds, and workshops on painting, native plants and learning mele.

The KFBRP has been in existence for 21 years and most people who are or have worked to help save forest birds can rattle their names off, like Diegmann did on Friday.

“We have ‘akeke’e, ‘i’iwi, puaiohi, ‘apapane, ‘anianiau, Kaua’i ‘elepaio, Kaua’i ‘amakihi, and ‘akikiki,” Diegmann listed. The ‘akikiki is the species now considered functionally extinct in the mountains of Kaua’i. Many of the events this year have focused on capturing the individual stories of each and every bird.

Justin Hite estimates he spent 1,000 nights over the course of eight years camping in the bird’s habitat as the field coordinator for KFBRP. He is now a planner with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). Hite told exhibit guests the story of  , a female and one of only two ‘akikiki believed to be still alive in the wild. The second bird is a juvenile.

“I watched the forest empty out of ‘akikiki. I watched them all disappear. When I first got here, the valley (where Pakele lives) was fully occupied with ‘akikiki everywhere,” Hite remarked.

He added, “I just really want to acknowledge the two of them as the ones that are going to move forward with us and a really important role for a lot of us is having hope and working really hard and believing that what we’re doing is helping and kind of keeping us going forward.”

Diegmann is particularly appreciative of the artists, young and old, who contributed their works and the many volunteers who spent all day Friday setting up the exhibit.

“I want people to come here and to enjoy the beautiful art and to learn about the different species that we have here on Kaua’i,” she said.

Efforts to control mosquitoes, which have moved into the higher elevations where honeycreepers live, are focused on Kaua’i and Maui. Many birds have been caught and moved into bird conservation centers with the hope, that once avian malaria is under control, there are large enough breeding populations to return the songs of the Hawai’i forest birds to their rightful homes.