The Kauaʻi ʻamakihi (''Chlorodrepanis stejnegeri'') is a species of

Hawaiian honeycreepers Hawaiian may refer to: * Native Hawaiians, the current term for the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants * Hawaii state residents, regardless of ancestry (only used outside of Hawaii) * Hawaiian language Historic uses ...

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 elsew ...

Kauaʻi Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the List of islands of th ...

in the family

Fringillidae The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

. The species Hawaiian name is associated with is Kihikihi, or kihi, which stems from the word amakihi. Kihikihi, meaning curved, makes a reference to the bill of the Kauaʻi ʻamakihi. The Kauaʻi ʻamakihi has similar physical features to an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

species, the

Kauaʻi nukupuʻu The Kauai nukupuu (''Hemignathus hanapepe'') was a species of nukupuʻu once found throughout parts of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It was an insect eater that picked out its tiny prey from tree bark. The males were yellowish with brown wings, ...

. When flying or feeding, the Kaua’i ‘amakihi lets out a distinguishing tweet.

Distribution

This species is

to the island of Kauaʻi The Kaua‘i ‘amakihi resides in the higher elevations of the Kaua‘i mountains usually above 600 meters in elevation. They previously occurred at lower elevations, but due to the loss of habitat, are now mostly found at elevations higher than 600 meters in mountainous areas. They are known to be around ‘ōhi‘a and koa trees. They are especially common in ōhi'a trees where they often nest and in ōhi'a forests. They can be spotted at Waimea Canyon, Nā Pali Plateau, Alaka‘i Swamp, and Makaleha Mountains.

Anatomy

This species has a greenish-yellow with black lores and a large, sickle-shaped, down curved beak. Males usually have bigger beaks and more color compared to the females which have smaller beaks and a more dull color. More dull feathers and a bigger beaks distinguishes the Kaua‘i ‘amakihi from the other ʻamakihi species.

Conservation

The Kauaʻi ʻamakihi has been categorized as vulnerable by

Bird Life International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

. While their population numbers have been steady, like other honeycreepers, the Kauaʻi ʻamakihi is threatened by

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 ...

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

, and

avian malaria Avian malaria is a parasitic disease of birds, caused by parasite species belonging to the genera ''Plasmodium'' and '' Hemoproteus'' (phylum Apicomplexa, class Haemosporidia, family Plasmoiidae). The disease is transmitted by a dipteran vector i ...

, but has not been affected as strongly as other species in the subfamily.

References

External links

Species factsheet
- BirdLife International
Videos, photos and sounds
- Internet Bird Collectio Hawaiian honeycreepers Chlorodrepanis Biota of Kauai Endemic birds of Hawaii Birds described in 1989 Taxa named by Scott Barchard Wilson Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{fringillidae-stub