Program Meeting | Avian Malaria and Collapse of the Hawaiian Avifauna

Avian malaria has rapidly expanded across Hawaiian rainforests, contributing to severe population declines and imminent extinctions of native forest birds, particularly the iconic Hawaiian Honeycreepers. This talk will explore some recent research on the ecological drivers of disease spread and implications for conservation and management of the remaining avifauna of Hawaiʻi.

Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Time: 5:45 PM

Location: East Flagstaff Community Library, Suite 5, 3000 N Fourth St, Flagstaff, AZ 86004

Speakers: Jeff Foster, Professor of Biology at Northern Arizona University.

About Jeff: Jeff Foster is a Professor of Biology at Northern Arizona University. After college, he spent 5 years as a field biologist across the West and Pacific. He received his PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where he studied the ecology of introduced bird species in Hawaii. He then did a postdoc at the Smithsonian researching the evolution of disease resistance to avian malaria in Hawaiian honeycreepers. As a faculty member, he has continued with disease ecology, pathogen evolution, diet analyses and more in birds and several other taxa including bats, other wildlife, and livestock.