Status and Conservation
The Hawaiian Petrel is an endangered species. In addition to loss of habitat from development, the greatest threats to the petrel are feral cats, Small Asian Mongooses, and rats, all of which feed on the helpless chicks when they are inside their burrows. In Haleakalā National Park, great efforts are being made to reduce the number of feral animals, so to preserve not only the Hawaiian Petrel, but many other rare Hawaiian birds that fall victim to predation. Wires injure the rare petrels and city lights disorient them, contributing to their decline. The Hawaiian Petrel was once considered conspecific with the Dark-rumped Petrel of the Galápagos islands, but was recently split to its own species.
At the recommendation of federal wildlife officials, Hawaiʻi switched to digital television on 15 January 2009, a month ahead of the nationwide FCC mandatory conversion, in order to preserve the nesting season of the ʻUaʻu. Biologists didn't have an accurate count of how many of the species remained, but estimated fewer than 1,000 nested on Haleakalā volcano, their primary nesting area. The earlier digital conversion allowed nearby analog transmission towers to be destroyed without disrupting the nesting season, which begins in February.
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