Rescued ʻuaʻu chick takes flight

An endangered ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian Petrel) chick that was rescued by a team from Archipelago Research and Conservation (ARC) in the middle of October has been successfully released out to sea after 39 days of care by the Save Our Shearwaters program.

The ʻuaʻu is an endemic seabird found only in the Hawaiian Islands, and a third of the world population nests on Kauaʻi. Research has shown that in recent decades, the species has declined by 78% due to a range of threats including powerline collisions and predation by introduced predators such as cats, rats and pigs, with the result that the species is now listed as endangered.

In this case, the ‘uaʻu chick was found by the ARC team while undertaking colony monitoring work in a seabird management area located in the Hono O Nā Pali Natural Area Reserve on Oct. 19. One of the parents was unfortunately found dead outside of its burrow due to natural causes and the decision was made to rescue the chick and bring it into care.

“At that critical stage in its life, an ‘uaʻu chick needs both of its parents to survive, as the chick is in a period of rapid growth and requires the food that the two parents are bringing,” said Dr. André Raine, Science Director for ARC. “The chick was very thin and weak when the team discovered it, so we knew its only chance of survival was to be brought to the Save Our Shearwaters team for rehabilitation.”

The ARC team carefully removed the chick from its burrow under an ʻōhiʻa tree and hiked with it across steep, mountainous terrain to their base camp. The chick was kept in a dry warm area where it could safely sleep until a helicopter came to collect it in the morning. After being transferred to Līhuʻe, the chick was taken to the Save Our Shearwaters facility in Wailuā.

“When this ‘uaʻu arrived at our facility it was clear based the bird’s body condition that s/he had not been cared for by her parents for an extended amount of time,” said Jacqueline Nelson, Wildlife Rehabilitation Manager for Save Our Shearwaters. “She would not have survived much longer in the wild without intervention. We are thrilled she responded well to treatment and that we were able to get her into an appropriate weight range for the species. Watching them fly out to sea at release makes all the hard work worth it!”

The ‘uaʻu was ultimately released by Save Our Shearwaters last Sunday, at Lydgate Park, along with an ‘aʻo (Newell’s Shearwater) and ‘uaʻu kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwater) which had both previously been rescued after being grounded by lights from urban areas. After several minutes stretching its wings and preening, the ‘uaʻu flew strongly out to sea. The bird is now hopefully well on its way to wintering grounds in the Philippines.

Kylie Smith, one of the ARC technicians who initially rescued the bird, was there to watch the ‘uaʻu head out to sea. She said, “Having seen the ‘uaʻu chick literally go from mauka to makai, it was so awe-inspiring to be present when the chick finally took its first flight out to sea! I feel such gratitude for being a part of this process and am thrilled that we have been able to give the bird a second chance.”

Seabird monitoring work and rehabilitation carried out by ARC and Save Our Shearwaters respectively is funded by the Kauaʻi Island Utility Co-operative as part of a Habitat Conservation Plan.