List of Hawaiian species extinct in the Holocene

This is a list of Hawaiian animal species extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present (about 9700 BCE) and continues to the present day.

The Hawaiian Islands include the eight major islands (the Windward Islands) and the small islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. They are all part of the U.S. state of Hawaii, except Midway Atoll, which is a separate U.S. territory.

The islands of East Polynesia (including New Zealand, Hawaii, and Easter Island) were among the last habitable places on earth colonized by humans. Estimates for the timing of Polynesian settlement in Hawaii have been uncertain, but a 2010 study based on radiocarbon dates of more reliable samples suggests that Hawaii was first settled by humans roughly between 1219 and 1266 CE. In 1778, British explorer James Cook became the first recorded European to arrive in Hawaii. An influx of European and American explorers, traders, and whalers arrived shortly after. Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898 and became a state in 1959.

Numerous species have disappeared from Hawaii as part of the ongoing Holocene extinction, driven by human activity. Human contact, first by Polynesians and later by Europeans, had a significant impact on the environment. Both the Polynesians and Europeans cleared native forests and introduced non-indigenous species for agriculture (or by accident), driving many endemic species to extinction. Fossil finds in caves, lava tubes, and sand dunes have revealed that Hawaii once had a native eagle, two raven-size crows, several bird-eating owls, and giant ducks known as moa-nalo. Today, many of Hawaii's remaining endemic species of plants and animals are considered endangered. Hawaii has more endangered species and has lost a higher percentage of its endemic species than any other U.S. state. The endemic plant Brighamia now requires hand pollination because its natural pollinator is presumed to be extinct.

This list of extinct species only includes the indigenous biota of Hawaii, not domestic animals like the Hawaiian Poi Dog. Many extinction dates are unknown due to a lack of relevant information.

Mammals (class Mammalia)

Bats (order Chiroptera)

Vesper bats (family Vespertilionidae) Scientific nameRangeCommentsSynemporion keanaKauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii (island)Might have become extinct around the 10th century.Ziegler, A. C., Howarth, F. G., & Simmons, N. B. (2016). A second endemic land mammal for the Hawaiian Islands: a new genus and species of fossil bat (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae). American Museum novitates, nº 3854.

Birds (class Aves)

Waterfowl (order Anseriformes)

Ducks, geese, and swans (family Anatidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesNēnē-nuiBranta hylobadistesMaui, possibly Oahu and KauaiMost recent remains dated to 1046-1380.Giant Hawaiʻi gooseBranta rhuaxHawaii (island)Most recent remains dated to 1380-1500.Paxinos, Ellen E., et al. (2002) mtDNA from fossils reveals a radiation of Hawaiian geese recently derived from the Canada goose (Branta canadensis). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 99, no 3, p. 1399-1404.Turtle-jawed moa-naloChelychelynechen quassusKauaiYoung, H. G., Tonge, S. J., & Hume, J. P. (1996). Review of Holocene wildfowl extinctions. Wildfowl, 47(47), 167-181.Only known from subfossil remains.Small-billed moa-naloPtaiochen pauMauiKnown from subfossil remains. It was possibly restricted to montane habitat, while the lowlands were occupied by the Maui Nui large-billed moa-nalo. Likely disappeared due to a combination of hunting and predation or competition with introduced mammals.Kauaʻi mole duckTalpanas lippaKauaiMost recent remains dated to 3540-3355 BCE.Iwaniuk, A.N., Olson, S.L., & James, H.F. (2009). Extraordinary cranial specialization in a new genus of extinct duck (Aves: Anseriformes) from Kauai, Hawaiian Islands. Zootaxa. Being a flightless, nocturnal, almost-blind species convergent with New Zealand's kiwi, it was likely very vulnerable to hunting and predation by introduced animals.Oʻahu moa-naloThambetochen xanionOahuMost recent remains dated to 440-639 CE. It possibly disappeared due to a combination of hunting, habitat loss, and nest-predation by introduced mammals. Maui Nui large-billed moa-naloThambetochen chauliodousMaui and MolokaiMost recent remains dated to 1057-1375. It occupied low altitudes while the small-billed moa-nalo lived at higher elevations. It likely disappeared due to hunting, and nest predation by Polynesian rats.Giant Oʻahu gooseAnatidae sp. et gen. indet.OahuPrehistoricLong-legged shelduckAnatidae sp. et gen. indet.Kauai

Rails and cranes (order Gruiformes)

Rails (family Rallidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesKepler's crakeZapornia keplerorumMauiKnown from subfossil remains.Molokai crakeZapornia menehuneMolokaiLaysan railZapornia palmeriLaysanDisappeared from Laysan in 1923 after feral rabbits ate all the vegetation in the island. Previously, the species was introduced to other islands in an attempt to save it from extinction, establishing successful populations in Midway (Eastern and Sand islands). In 1943, military construction in Midway accidentally introduced black rats, which exterminated the rails by either June 1944 or June 1945.Hawaiian railZapornia sandwichensisHawaii (island)Last collected in 1864; claims of further survival are unsubstantiated. The nominate subspecies Z. s. sandwichensis lived on the leeward side of the island of Hawaii and the subspecies Z. s. millsi on the windward side. It coexisted peacefully with the Polynesian rat but might have been driven to extinction by the black rat. Mongooses were blamed by some authors, but they were not introduced to the island until 1883. Hunting, deforestation, predation by pigs, cats, and dogs, and introduced diseases from poultry may have been contributing factors to its extinction.Great Maui crakePorzana severnsiMauiKnown from subfossil remains.Great Oʻahu crakePorzana ralphorumOahuKnown from subfossil remains. It was apparently limited to lowland areas while Ziegler's crake occupied the highlands, which would make it even more vulnerable to human settlement than other flightless rails.Small Oʻahu crakeZapornia ziegleriMost recent remains dated to 650-869 CE.Great Hawaiian crake"Porzana" sp. Hawaii (island)All prehistoric.Great Kauaʻi crake"Porzana" sp. KauaiMedium Kauaʻi crake"Porzana" sp.Medium Maui crake"Porzana" sp. MauiSmall Hawaiian crake"Porzana" sp. Hawaii (island)

Shorebirds (order Charadriiformes)

Gulls, terns, and skimmers (family Laridae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsKauaʻi gullLarus sp.KauaiKnown from mid-Holocene remains. There are no resident gull species in Kauai's modern fauna, though the laughing gull and others occur accidentally.Burney, D. A., James, H. F., Burney, L. P., Olson, S. L., Kikuchi, W., Wagner, W. L., ... & Nishek, R. (2001). Fossil evidence for a diverse biota from Kaua'i and its transformation since human arrival. Ecological Monographs, 71(4), 615-641.

Albatrosses and petrels (order Procellariiformes)

Petrels and shearwaters (family Procellariidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsOʻahu petrelPterodroma jugabilisHawaii (island) and OahuKnown from subfossil remains found in archaeological assemblages, because of this it is believed that it was hunted by people. It has no close living relatives.

Pelicans, herons, and ibises (order Pelecaniformes)

Ibises and spoonbills (family Threskiornithidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesMaui highland ibisApteribis brevisMauiMost recent remains dated to 170 BCE - 370 CE.James, H. F., Stafford, T. W., Steadman, D. W., Olson, S. L., Martin, P. S., Jull, A. J., & McCoy, P. C. (1987). Radiocarbon dates on bones of extinct birds from Hawaii. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 84(8), 2350-2354.Molokaʻi ibisApteribis glenosMolokaiPrehistoric Maui lowland ibisApteribis sp.MauiLānaʻi ibisApteribis sp.Lanai

Hawks and relatives (order Accipitriformes)

Hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures (family Accipitridae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsWood harrierCircus dossenusMolokai and OahuAdapted to hunting birds in closed forests, with short wings more similar to sparrowhawks in the Accipiter genus than other harriers. It likely disappeared due to forest clearing by Polynesians.

Locally extinct Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesWhite-tailed eagleHaliaeetus albicillaExtant in temperate Eurasia; extinct in Oahu, Molokai, and MauiHolocene eagle fossils have been found on Oahu, Molokai, and Maui. The absence of eagle fossils from other Hawaiian islands might represent a true gap in distribution or a deficiency in the fossil record. The fossils are called the Hawaiian eagle in sources. Based on DNA research, these fossils represent the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) or a very close relative. The Hawaiian eagle was an isolated, resident population in Hawaii for more than 100,000 years, where it was the largest terrestrial predator. Its extinction could have been related to human-induced ecological changes, although there is currently no direct evidence for temporal overlap with humans.

Owls (order Strigiformes)

True owls (family Strigidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsKauaʻi stilt-owlGrallistrix aucepsKauaiMost recent remains dated to 744-202 BCE.Maui stilt-owlGrallistrix erdmaniMauiMost recent remains dated to 1057-1440 CE.Molokaʻi stilt-owlGrallistrix gelechesMolokaiPrehistoricOʻahu stilt-owlGrallistrix orionOahu

Perching birds (order Passeriformes)

Crows and relatives (family Corvidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesHigh-billed crowCorvus impluviatusOahuPrehistoric Robust crowCorvus viriosusOahu and Molokai

Extinct in the wild Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesHawaiian crowCorvus hawaiiensisHawaii (island) and MauiHistorically recorded on the island of Hawaii, where it was persecuted as a nuisance during the 19th century. Fossils indicate that this species or a very similar one was also found on Maui before European contact. The last wild pairs bred on the slopes of the Mauna Loa in 1992, by which time there were only 11 or 12 individuals left. One egg was laid in 1996 but didn't hatch, and the last pair was sighted in 2002. A captive population exists, but a release program in 1993-1999 ended in failure.

Reed warblers (family Acrocephalidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesLaysan millerbirdAcrocephalus familiaris familiarisLaysanLast recorded in 1913. It likely disappeared due to habitat destruction caused by feral rabbits, which were introduced in 1904 and destroyed the vegetation almost completely by 1920.Hume, J.P. (2017) Extinct Birds. Bloomsbury Publishing, 560 pages.

Hawaiian honeyeaters (family Mohoidae)