[2] The honeycreepers are threatened by recently introduced predation, competition, parasitism, degradation of habitat, and infectious disease including mosquito-borne avian malaria.
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 (Excalfactoria chinensis).
[4] The immune system of the honeycreepers had not been exposed to avian malaria since its common ancestor existed 4 to 5 million years ago.
Other destructive invasive species include cats, who feed on birds, especially those who are naive to predators (such as Hawaiian honeycreepers).
In many cases habitat protection is not occurring fast enough for critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper species to keep their populations afloat.
The Zoological Society of San Diego and Peregrine Fund have established management programs aimed at breeding these species in captivity and releasing them back into the wild.
[5] As reported in 2000, the major challenge for the program did not include successfully breeding the birds in captivity but finding suitable habitat to release them.
[7] However, Hawaiian honeycreeper numbers are still in decline and this may be due to introduced predators: feral cats, small Asian mongooses, and three species of rat.