POPULATION STATUS OF THE ENDANGERED HAWAIIAN HAWK

We assessed the current abundance and distribution of Hawaiian Hawks ( 'io; Buteo solitarius) on the island of Hawaii to determine if this fe derally endangered bird should be downlisted to threatened status. We found a density of 0.004 hawks/ha on the island. Using an estimate of 400000 ha of suitable 'io habitat on Hawaii, we estimated a total of 1 600 hawks (1120 adults; 560 pairs) on Hawaii. Based on the wide distri bution of 'io among vegetation types on the island and little apparent change in numbers during the past decade, we agreed with the recommen dation for downlisting the hawk but suggested that researchers collect long-term demographic data to better understand the status of this sp ecies.