| has gloss | eng: crap Hawaiian honeycreepers (Fringillidae), of the subfamily Drepanidinae, were once quite abundant in all forests throughout Hawaii. Less than half of Hawaiis previously extant species of honeycreeper still exist. The subfamily Drepanidinae historically consisted of at least 51 species. One of the consequences of the invasive birds is the introduction of avian malaria. The pathogen is primarily transmitted via female mosquitoes who will pass on the disease by biting a susceptible individual after having bitten an infected individual. The main mosquito vector (Culex quinquefasciatus) was introduced over a hundred years before the pathogen (Plasmodium r. capistranoae), mostly hosted by the Blue-breasted Quail (Coturnix chinensis). | align="center" | Critically Endangered Species The goal is to eliminate the mosquito populations using herd immunity, which does not require the unfeasible eradication of every individual mosquito. Another strategy requires releasing genetically manipulated sterile mosquito males into the wild every generation and as a consequence the mosquito populations diminish over time. |
