Many factors are contributing to the decline in Hawaii's forest bird populations, loss of habitat, climate change and invasive species, but none more than disease. Avian Malaria and avian Poxvirus are spread by human introduced Mosquitoes. Historically, mosquitoes did not exist on Hawaii and native bird species never developed resistance to mosquito transmitted diseases. Because of this, mosquitoes have devastated many native bird populations. Join Travis as he explores what scientists are doing to help reduce mosquito populations, determine avian malaria abundance and determine current and future solutions for malaria such as BTI and wolbachia. This video also serves as a day in the life of a researcher which explains our research process and shows how we carry out the research in the field.
—Travis DuBridge