General Information

Habitat Requirements

Puaiohi are permanent residents of stream valleys and associated ridges of the Alakai Wilderness Preserve and adjacent forest, the island of Kauai. Puaiohi historically occupied mesic (1 to 2 meters rainfall/year, 39 to 79 inches) habitat to extremely wet (2.5 to 13 meters rainfall/year, 98 to 512 inches) montane forest, with deeply dissected terrain containing steep-walled ravines above 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) in elevation (USFWS 2006, page 2-34). Its mesic forest habitat is dominated by koa (Acacia koa) and ohia (Metrosideros spp.), while the wet forest is dominated by ohia, with subdominant Puaiohi are now confined to wet montane forest, with greater than 6 meters rainfall/year (236 inches), at 1,050 (3,450 feet) to 1,300 meters (4,250 feet) elevation; and are associated with olapa fruit and ohia ha (Snetsinger et al. 1999, page 3-4; USFWS 2006, page 2- 34).

Food Habits

The diet of the puaiohi includes fleshy native fruits, insects, snails, and other invertebrates (Snetsinger et al. 1999, page 5)

Movement / Home Range

Even in the late 1800s, the puaiohi was considered exceedingly rare (USFWS 2006, page 2-35). It has been found in extremely limited numbers during the past half century. Since 2009, the overall trend of puaiohi within its restricted range in the Alakai Wilderness Preserve is stable. Crampton et al. (2017) estimate the current population of puaiohi at approximately 494 individuals. Puaiohi occur in high densities (up to 11 pairs/km of stream) in 3 adjacent drainages: the Upper Mohihi, Upper Waiakoali, and the northeastern upper Kawaikoī, but density declines with elevation (Snetsinger et al. 1999, Crampton et al., 2017).

Reproductive Strategy

Puaiohi sing occasionally throughout the year, but with increased frequency immediately before and during the breeding season, with a peak from April to May. Recently fledged young are highly sedentary for 2 to 4 days after fledging, remaining within 2 meters (6 feet) of the ground, where they may be particularly vulnerable to predation by introduced mammalian predators (USFWS 2006, page 2-32). Females readily and quickly re-nest after success or failure of a nesting attempt. Adult and juvenile survival and dispersal are poorly known because of the difficulty of marking and following sufficient numbers of birds over successive years. Prime nesting sites are found most readily on steep banks of small streams that drain the Alakai Wilderness Preserve to the south and west.

Other

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