In a race to protect rare Hawaiian honeycreepers from extinction, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and members of the multi-agency Birds, Not Mosquitoes (BNM) partnership have started using drones to combat deadly avian malaria, spread by non-native mosquitoes. The drones are expected to expedite an innovative solution to this urgent threat: They deliver non-biting, lab-reared male mosquitoes carrying a common bacteria that results in sterile eggs when the males mate with wild females. Over time, the invasive mosquito population will be reduced, and native bird populations will have the chance to recover.
Drone testing and deployment demonstrations will continue to be conducted at select active mosquito suppression sites. Once all testing is complete, standardized integration into the aerial deployment workflow will be underway.
Learn more: https://abcbirds.org/news/drones-hawaii-2025/
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