The Hawaii creeper, Hawaii creeper or ʻalawī (''Loxops mana'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

Hawaiian honeycreeper Hawaiian honeycreepers are a group of small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. They are closely related to the rosefinches in the genus ''Carpodacus'', but many species have evolved features unlike those present in any other finch. Their great ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Big Island of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are

dry forests The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

and

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

moist forests at elevations of . There are a total of 12,000 birds separated into three populations. A fourth population on the western part of the island probably represents migratory birds from one of the existing population. The Hawaii creeper measures and has drab green plumage. In 2017 the traditional Hawaiian name was rediscovered as 'alawi'.

Diet

The Hawaii creeper is similar to

treecreeper The treecreepers are a family, Certhiidae, of small passerine birds, widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa. The family contains eleven species in two genera, '' Certhia'' and '' Salpornis''. Their plumage ...

s in that it is able to climb up and down

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s. It uses its short, sharp

beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for foo ...

to probe bark for

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s residing underneath. If available, it will sip nectar from koa (''

Acacia koa ''Acacia koa'' or commonly known as koa is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, where it is the second most common tree. The highest populations are on Hawaii, Maui and Oahu. Name The name ...

'') or ōhia lehua (''

Metrosideros polymorpha ''Metrosideros polymorpha'', the ''ōhia lehua'', is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations ...

'').

Breeding

The breeding season of the Hawaii creeper lasts from April to July, during which female birds lay one to three eggs. Nests are hidden in a tree cavity or built on a high branch in either a koa (''

'') or a ōhia lehua (''

''). Eggs hatch after around thirteen days.

Conservation

The Hawaii creeper was put on the endangered species list in 1975; however, it was unknown whether the bird was uncommon or endangere

Although this species has been put into full view of habitat degradation, it has been able to reproduce, so it's not thought to be a serious problem to this species. It has also been found in lower elevations in areas like the common ʻamakihi, common amakihi and apparently handles the diseases better than other species just like it. Introductions of alien animals however have caused this bird to be put under pressure. This pressure includes the bird having competition for food. The other pressure is the fact that these birds are being eaten by rats which cause the populations to drop very quickly. The nests of the Hawaii creepers are low to the forest floor which leave the bird vulnerable to predators such as rat

The species is eaten as eggs, chicks, and even as full-fledged adults. Now its northern population is being protected in the same area as is the ʻAkiapolaʻau, akiapolaau and other native birds: Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. It is threatened by disease and

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. Also, the Hawaii creeper has probably benefited from the conservation of other endangered birds in Hawai

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawai'i Creeper Loxops Hawaiian honeycreepers Endemic fauna of Hawaii Endangered fauna of Hawaii Birds described in 1891 Taxa named by Scott Barchard Wilson Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN