Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi


The Hawaii amakihi, also known as the common amakihi, is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper.

Taxonomy

The Hawaii amakihi was formerly placed in the genus Hemignathus but was assigned to the genus Chlorodrepanis based on the phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences.
There are two recognized subspecies: C. v. wilsoni on Maui, Molokai, and Lānai, and C. v. virens on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Description

The Hawaii amakihi is a small bird, measuring about in length. It is yellow-green with a small black bill that is long and has brown eyes with black pupils.

Song

The primary song of the Hawaii amakihi is a rapid trill.

Diet

The Hawaii amakihi has a very wide diet, and has been able to find food despite habitat alteration. It has a tubular tongue, which it uses to drink nectar from flowers such as those of the ōhia lehua, ākala, and māmane. If necessary, it will suck juice from fruits. The Hawaii amakihi also hunts for spiders and insects among trees and shrubs.

Breeding

Hawaii amakihi are a productive species with a long breeding season, lasting about 9 months. On the Big Island, Maui and Molokaʻi there is variation in when that breeding season starts but it may coincide with flowering of mämane in dry mämane forests. Hawaii amakihi nest in the canopy of trees. They often are able to have two broods within a breeding season; having two rounds of chicks enables their population to increase more rapidly than slow growing species like the endangered Kiwikiu. Chicks remain in the nest for 15-21 days before they fledge. Young Hawaii amakihi become independent from their parents at 2-3 months.

Habitat and Distribution

It is found on the Big Island, Maui, and Molokai in Hawaii. It formerly occurred on Lānai where it was last seen in 1976. It is one of the most common honeycreepers, inhabiting all types of habitat, dry mämane forests to mesic and wet forests, on the islands at elevations from sea level to. On Maui they have also been successful in forests of introduced pines, cypresses and firs. Of all the forest birds native to Hawaii, the Hawaii amakihi has been affected the least by habitat changes. It is suspected that it is evolving resistance to diseases such as avian malaria. Along with the Apapane, it is one of the two Hawaiian honeycreepers listed by the IUCN as being of least concern.