Oahu Amakihi
Chlorodrepanis flava
A small Hawaiian honeycreeper of forests on Oahu. Males are bright yellow and females are grayer with two whitish wingbars. The bill is thicker and more curved than that of Warbling White-eye. Occurs in native and non-native forests, parks, and some suburban areas near mountains. Moves quickly among leaves and small branches in the understory and forest canopy in search of nectar, insects, and fruit. Song is a trill that does not change in pitch or speed. Call is a nasal “chee.”
Taxonomy
The Oʻahu ʻamakihi was first named by Andrew Bloxam (as Nectarina flava). He saw it and collected specimens from Oʻahu while in the Hawaiian Islands in 1825 as the naturalist on board HMS Blonde.<p>The species was formerly placed in the genus Hemignathus but was assigned to Chlorodrepanis based on the phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences.
- Scientific name
- Chlorodrepanis flava
- Authority
- (Bloxam, A, 1827)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Chlorodrepanis
Range and habitat
It tends to stay in the wetter southern area of Oʻahu, and in the valley near Wahiawa and Mililani. It can easily be spotted in two major parks, the Honouliuli Preserve, and the Wa'ahila Ridge State Recreation Area. It tends to stay in forest, but has - at least to some extent - adapted to non-native forest types. It will nest and forage in wooded urban areas, but prefers native habitats where koa (Acacia koa) dominates. It mainly occurs at altitudes above 1,650 feet (500 m), but in some valleys in parts of its range it occurs lower.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Medium-sized chachalaca with brown plumage and a heavily scaled throat and upper breast. Found at forest edges and in second growth, where it forages in small groups on the ground and trees. May visit bird feeders. Sings an incredibly loud “re-a-tok”, repeated continually.
Spot-tailed Nightjar
Antiurus maculicaudus
Small nightjar of savanna and grassland with scattered bushes and palmettos. Spends the day roosting cryptically on the ground, but at night may be found beside quiet roads and tracks. Like all nightjars, eyes reflect amber-red in lights. Plumage similar to other nightjars, but note the pale buffy eyebrow, buffy V-shaped stripe on the back, and bold wing spotting. Male has small white tail tip, lacking in female. White spots on male’s tail usually only visible in the hand. Song is high and insectlike, unlikely to draw attention.
Green-striped Brushfinch
Arremon virenticeps
Fairly stocky, sparrowlike bird endemic to highland forests. Occurs mainly in fir and humid pine-oak forest understory, often in brushy flower banks and shady canyons, where typically skulking and difficult to see well. Feeds on and near the ground, usually in pairs. White throat stands out in shady understory, but green head stripes can be difficult to see. Range does not overlap rather similar Chestnut-capped Brushfinch.
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