From Opus

Male
Photo by bkrownd
Eastern Saddle, Hawaii Island

Hemignathus munroi

[edit] Identification

• Bright greenish-yellow plumage
• Black lores
• Dark bill, upper mandible extremely long and sharply curved

[edit] Distribution

Hawaii. Endemic. Currently only found above the elevation of approximately 5000 feet on the Island of Hawai'i (Big Island).

[edit] Taxonomy

The strict SM intrepretation of this bird is as Akiapolaau (Hemignathus wilsoni). The use of wilsoni in a broader genus Hemignathus is already preoccupied as a subspecific taxon name of Hawaii Amakihi, i.e., Hemignathus virens wilsoni. Therefore, the use of wilsoni as a specific taxon name is incorrect. The consensus in taxonomic circles is to use the specific taxon name - munroi - for this bird.

[edit] Habitat

Forests with koa (Acacia koa) and ohi'a-lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees.

[edit] Behaviour

It creeps along trunks and branches.

[edit] Breeding

They build their nests in branches of ohi'a-lehua trees.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes grubs and arthropods. They utilize a woodpecker-like foraging behavior. They peck at branches with the lower mandible to expose burrowing grubs. Once the grub's burrow has been opened with the lower mandible, they use the upper mandible to probe into the burrow and extract the grub. They can often be located by listening for the sound of their pecking on koa or ohia trees.

[edit] Vocalisation

Song is a loud, rapid-fire warble.

[edit] References

Audubon

[edit] External Links