Samoa is offering a glimmer of hope for a critically endangered bird-one of the closest living relatives of the famously extinct dodo. Recent sightings suggest the manumea, a unique island pigeon, might potentially be clinging to survival despite facing immense threats.
The Samoa Conservation Society (SCS) reported five sightings of the manumea (Didunculus strigirostris) during a field survey conducted from October 17 to November 13. This marks a important increase compared to previous surveys, which often yielded only a single sighting, if any. The last confirmed photograph of this elusive species in the wild was taken in 2013.
“That was our worry,” said Moeumu Uili, a project coordinator with SCS. “what happens if we can’t find the bird? Does that mean the manumea is no more?”
Despite confirming the manumea’s continued existence,the research team faced challenges in capturing photographic evidence. The birds’ distance, rapid movements, and rainy weather conditions hindered their efforts.”all of a sudden, it appears out of nowhere,” Uili explained. “When we see it through the binoculars, we can see the bird, but by the time we get our cameras up, it’s gone.”
The manumea is primarily found on the remote coastal rainforest of Uafato, but the manumea may inhabit six additional forests across Samoa. An invasive species management programme is already in place within one of these forests, Samoa’s Malololelei Recreation Reserve. SCS aims to expand this program to areas like Uafato, pending funding.
If a manumea can be secured, conservation partners plan to utilize biobanking to preserve biological samples and establish cultured cell lines. These cell lines will facilitate the study of the manumea’s genetic material, informing the development of effective conservation strategies, including potential captive breeding programs.
The nonprofit conservation arm of Colossal Biosciences is also contributing to manumea conservation by developing an app designed to differentiate the manumea’s unique call from other bird sounds, aiming for a more accurate population estimate.
Colossal Biosciences has announced plans to potentially bring dodos back from extinction and recently garnered attention for “de-extincting” dire wolves-essentially gene editing gray wolves to incorporate traits reminiscent of their extinct ancestors.
Though, Nic Rawlence, an associate professor and director of the Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory at the University of Otago in New Zealand, cautioned against reintroducing extinct species into ecosystems that have considerably changed as their original existence. He also emphasized the importance of restoring sufficient genetic diversity-frequently enough referred to as the “500-rule”-to ensure the long-term adaptability and survival of any revived species.
Rawlence echoed Wood’s sentiments, stressing that saving the manumea requires prioritizing invasive species control and addressing other threats to its survival, given the dwindling population. “I think it’s still going to come down to the grunt work of predator control, habitat restoration, translocation,” he said.
Manumea conservation efforts in Samoa are supported by SCS, the Samoa Ministry of Natural Resources and Habitat, BirdLife International, the Colossal Foundation, the Toledo Zoo, and the Waddesdon Foundation through the Zoological Society of London.
