Birds, Not Mosquitoes (BNM) is a coalition of state, federal, private, and non-profit partners. Our mission is to protect the native Hawaiian manu nahele (forest birds) by advancing efforts to suppress the non-native southern house mosquito population in high-elevation forests across the Hawaiian islands. These invasive mosquitoes carry avian malaria, which could drive some endangered native Hawaiian honeycreepers to extinction in the next two to five years.  

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Birds, Not Mosquitoes coordinates the development and implementation of mosquito suppression with a proven method using Wolbachia-incompatible male mosquitoes in the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT). Our work includes planning, permitting, compliance, research, and on-the-ground implementation and monitoring of this technique.

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​BNM includes representatives from the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiʻi Department of Health, US Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Hawaiʻi, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, American Bird Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi and Palmyra, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, Island Conservation, the Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project, and Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project. ​

 

The project is funded in part by the American Bird Conservancy, Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Previous funders have included the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council and anonymous private donors.