‘Grief is a rational response’: the 21 US species declared extinct this year

The Extinct Species

The Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, a small black and yellow bird with glossy feathers and a haunting song, was the last surviving member of the Hawaiian honeyeaters. This year, it was officially declared extinct.

The ōʻō was one of 21 species that the US Fish and Wildlife Service removed from the endangered species list in 2023 because they had vanished from the wild. Gone is the little Mariana fruit bat – also known as the Guam flying fox – and the bridled white-eye, which was once one of the most common birds on that island. So too, are the Scioto madtom, a diminutive, whiskered catfish that lived in Ohio, and the Bachman’s warbler, which summered in the US south and wintered in Cuba. Eight freshwater mussels in the south-east are officially extinct, as are eight Hawaiian birds.

The Impact on Hawaii

In the US, the loss of biodiversity is felt more acutely in Hawaii than anywhere else. Eight of the 21 delisted species were Hawaiian forest birds. Four other species are at imminent risk of extinction, largely due to an epidemic of avian malaria, a disease transmitted by invasive mosquitoes, and habitat loss.

And the climate crisis, which has shifted local weather patterns and reshaped sensitive island ecosystems, is further complicating matters, said Rachel Kingsley. As an outreach associate with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, a conservation organization, she has been involved in efforts to recover the critically endangered cousins of the birds declared extinct this year.

To combat the disease, which is spread by mosquitoes that were probably introduced via European ships in the early 19th century, a coalition of federal and state officials and non-profit groups are releasing mosquitoes with a special strain of bacterium that can suppress the insects’ ability to reproduce. But in the meantime, warmer temperatures have expanded the mosquitoes’ range, pushing them into higher elevations, leaving forest birds with little refuge.

The Need for Conservation

For the scientists fighting to save them from extinction, bearing witness to their decline can be a profound and devastating responsibility. In his nearly 50-year career, Jim Jacobi, a biologist with the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, has been one of the last people on earth to ever see at least four birds that are now considered extinct. In 1984, he was one of the last people to ever hear the song of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō.

When the Fish and Wildlife Services finalised its decision to declare the species extinct this year, Curry resolved to advocate for more conservation funding and a strengthening of the Endangered Species Act. This year has put renewed scrutiny on the landmark legislation and whether it is enough to fight the staggering rate of biodiversity loss.

The Endangered Species Act has helped bring some species – such as the bald eagle – back from the brink. “But in some ways, the ESA is like having an emergency room and intensive care unit, without providing regular immunizations and check-ups,” said Safina.