The manumea was hunted to the brink of extinction. To bring the endangered dodo relative back, Samoa put in place fines for hunting the bird and launched an awareness campaign, which involved painting murals in public places. This one says "Save the manumea" in Samoan. (Image credit: Whitney Isenhower)

One of the closest living relatives of the dodo has been spotted multiple times in Samoa — raising hopes that this critically endangered creature can be saved from the brink of extinction.

The Samoa Conservation Society's (SCS) latest field survey, which took place from Oct. 17-Nov. 13, reported five sightings of the manumea (Didunculus strigirostris). Previous surveys only yielded a single sighting, if any. The last photograph of the cryptic species in the wild was taken in 2013.

"That was our worry," said Moeumu Uili, a project coordinator focusing on manumea with SCS. "What happens if we can't find the bird? Does that mean the manumea is no more?"

Despite confirming the manumea's existence, the team found it difficult to photograph due to their distance from the bird, its quick movement and rainy conditions. "All of a sudden, it appears out of nowhere," Uili told Live Science. "When we see it through the binoculars, we can see the bird."

But by the time researchers lower their binoculars to get a camera, the bird is gone, she said.

Last of its kind

The manumea is the only living species of its Didunculus genus, which will end if the bird goes extinct. The chicken-size manumea's scientific name, Didunculus strigirostris, means "little dodo." Both the dodo and manumea are classified as island ground pigeons.

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The dodo went extinct due to habitat loss, hunting and predators — the same threats to the manumea's survival. Hunting has been outlawed and subject to fines, so it's imperative to focus on the current main threat — invasive species, particularly feral cats and rats, experts said. Cats hunt living birds and chicks, while rats eat the eggs and chicks.

"The impact on manumea is certainly catastrophic," Joe Wood, the manager of International Conservation Programs at the Toledo Zoo, told Live Science. "It seems very likely that feral cats are a major cause of decline," said , who also co-chairs a group at the International Union for Conservation of Nature that works on manumea conservation efforts. "There has to be some kind of control program."