Akekee
Loxops caeruleirostris
A small, very rare Hawaiian honeycreeper of remote native forests on Kauai. Declining rapidly; found only above 4,000 feet elevation in the eastern ‘Alaka’i Plateau. Males are yellow with a small black mask and females are greenish. The crossed bill that is uses to pry open leaf buds in search of insects and larvae is difficult to see. The longer tail with a notched tip distinguishes it from other small honeycreepers. Its rarely-heard song is a wavering trill that changes in speed and pitch. Call is a soft upslurred “suweet.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Loxops caeruleirostris
- Authority
- (Wilson, SB, 1890)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Loxops
Range and habitat
The ʻakekeʻe is currently found only in the Waimea Canyon State Park, Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve and Kōkeʻe State Park. It has been heading toward extinction because of its lack of tolerance to alteration of its habitat, which is based on mesic and wet forests, especially ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Mistletoe Tyrannulet
Zimmerius parvus
Small, drab tyrannulet found in the lowlands from eastern Guatemala and Belize south to extreme northwestern Colombia. Fairly inconspicuous; usually found as singles or pairs in middle to upper levels of forests, plantations, and second-growth. Typically perches fairly horizontally with the tail held slightly cocked. Feeds mainly on berries. Note the dull whitish eyebrow, small bill, and bright yellow edging on wing feathers.
Black-headed Mountain Greenbul
Arizelocichla nigriceps
Medium-sized chunky greenbul with a broken pale eye-ring. Note the black cap, a vaguely striped cheek, and gray underparts. Common and conspicuous in montane forest. Often joins mixed flocks with other bird species. The song is a short series of barking and mewing notes. Similar to Olive-headed Greenbul, but separated by the dark eye, the less distinct cheek striping, and the black rather than olive-green crown.
Mascarene Paradise-Flycatcher
Terpsiphone bourbonnensis
A pretty and distinctive bird that always lacks the long tail streamers possessed by some paradise-flycatchers. Note the rufous back and tail and the gray underparts. Males and females differ slightly: males have a black cap and a blue eye-ring, whereas females have a dark-gray cap without a distinctive eye-ring. Fairly common on Reunion in all types of humid forest. Rare on Mauritius in remnant rainforest patches. Calls include a tearing “sree-sreeet” and an agitated twittering. The song is a long musical series of “twee” notes.
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