The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it is considering the 'i'iwi for its threatened and endangered lists after reviewing a petition.

Federal officials are initiating a 12-month review of the species' status.

"The 'i'iwi is one of Hawaii?s most charismatic bird species," said Loyal Mehrhoff, field supervisor for the Fish and Wildlife Service?s Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office. "As a Hawaiian honeycreeper, the ?i?iwi serves an important role as a pollinator of native plant species and is a vital component of healthy Hawaiian forests."

According to the petition, several factors have contributed to the decline of 'i'iwi throughout Hawaii.

• Habitat degradation and loss due to browsing, trampling and digging by nonnative feral ungulates (pigs, goats, axis deer).
• Encroachment and invasion by nonnative plants.
• Increase in frequency and intensity of fire, and urbanization.
• The spread of avian malaria and avian pox parasitism by bird lice.
• Predation by nonnative animals including rats and cats.
• Inadequate regulations to alleviate the effects of global climate change, to protect 'i'iwi habitat, and to prevent the introduction and spread of nonnative species.
• Disease epizootics.

On August 25, 2010, the Fish and Wildlife Service received a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity and Life Net requesting that the Service list the ?i?iwi as threatened or endangered and designate critical habitat for the species.

On September 10, 2010, the service notified the Center for Biological Diversity and Life Net by letter that they were initiating the review of the petition.

The 'i'iwi is a member of the endemic "found nowhere else" subfamily Drepanidinae or Hawaiian honeycreepers. It is the only species in the genus Vestiaria and is classified as a discrete species by the American Ornithologists? Union.

The 'i'iwi occurs on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Oahu, and Kauai and is most abundant in montane wet, closed-canopied, high-stature ohia and koa forests at elevations above 4,922 feet.

The largest population occurs on Hawaii Island. On the windward side of the island, the populations are generally declining except in forests above 4,922 feet in elevation.