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An aeâo or Hawaiian stilt dips its beak into the water at Kanaha Pond while searching for food Saturday morning. A federal conservation agency hopes to downlist the species from endangered to threatened. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos
After years of encouraging trends for a bird that nests at Kealia and Kanaha ponds on Maui, a federal conservation agency hopes to downlist the species from endangered to threatened.
Survey data and a recent population viability analysis indicate that the population of the ae’o, or Hawaiian stilt, has been “stable to increasing for several decades” across the state, with the trend expected to continue as long as conservation efforts are ongoing, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, which is proposing the change in the bird’s status.