Millions of mosquitoes released in Hawaii to save rare birds from extinction

Conservationists hope insects carrying birth control' bacteria can save honeycreeper being wiped out by malaria

Millions of mosquitoes are being released from helicopters in Hawaii in a last-ditch attempt to save rare birds slipping into extinction.

The archipelago's endemic, brightly coloured honeycreeper birds are dying of malaria carried by mosquitoes first introduced by European and American ships in the 1800s. Having evolved with no immunity to the disease, the birds can die after just a single bite.