Last-ditch effort made to save Hawaiian bird

HONOLULU -- The last three po'ouli birds known to exist will be taken into captivity in a last-ditch effort to save the species from extinction.

"If we do not bring them in now, they may never be seen again," said Michael Buck, administrator of the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

The po'ouli, or Hawaiian honeycreeper, may be the rarest bird on Earth. The last known breeding occurred about five years ago.

The small, stocky brown bird was first identified in 1973. Its population then was estimated at 200.