Akikiki
Oreomystis bairdi
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. Gray above and whitish below with a pink bill and a short tail. Juveniles have white spectacles. Forages by creeping on branches, rarely in foliage. Its rarely-heard song is a high, even trill and the call is a soft “squeet.” Careful observations are needed to distinguish this species from other small honeycreepers.
识别特征
The ʻakikiki is small (13 cm length; 12-17 g mass), with gray plumage above and white below. It is not sexually dimorphic. Juveniles have large white eye rings; adults may retain a pale eyebrow for several years. Legs and bill are pink. The tail is short compared to other birds on Kauaʻi, giving it a stocky appearance.
分类信息
Although the taxonomic affinities of Oreomystis remain uncertain, some phylogenetic evidence indicates that it is most closely allied with the ʻalauahios (Paroreomyza). Together, they form the second most basal recent lineage within the Hawaiian honeycreepers aside from the recently-extinct poʻouli (Melamprosops phaeosoma), and the most basal extant lineage. However, other studies support it being slightly more derived than Paroreomyza.
- 学名
- Oreomystis bairdi
- 命名信息
- (Stejneger, 1887)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Fringillidae
- 属
- Oreomystis
分布与栖息地
It is currently found only in the highest elevation native rainforests of Kokeʻe State Park and the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve on Kauaʻi. Subfossil records indicate that it was once found at sea level as well, and thus may have inhabited a wider range of habitats, including dry forest.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
保护状况
The ʻakikiki has been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2000. It has been a candidate for listing as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act since 1993, but was not listed as such until 2010. Because little is known about this species, the primary focus of recovery efforts so far have been estimating the population size and understanding its basic biology. Captive breeding, reintroduction, and habitat restoration are planned. <p>An extremely steep decline was noted between 2018 and 2021 in Halehaha, one of the species' former strongholds, with the population declining from 70 to 5 individuals, leaving only 45 wild individuals overall. This decline has been blamed on climate change allowing the mosquitoes carrying avian malaria to invade higher elevations. In addition, it has been predicted that at the current decline rate, the species will likely go extinct in the wild by 2023. About 41 captive individuals exist, although only a limited amount of offspring have been produced. It is currently planned to keep a significant number of ʻakikiki in captivity until landscape-scale control of mosquitoes using Wolbachia can be performed starting in 2024 at the earliest, after which the birds could be reintroduced to their habitat.<p>In May 2015, a high-school teacher in Tamil Nadu, India named Prakash Vaithyanathan suggested that the International Astronomical Union name a celestial body Akikiki during the 2015 IAU General Assembly conducted in Hawaii. After much consideration, asteroid number 7613 was officially named 7613 ʻAkikiki.
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Ancient Antwren
Herpsilochmus gentryi
This antwren is known only from a small area in northeastern Peru and adjacent border areas of Ecuador. It is confined to rainforest that grows in nutrient-poor soils with a specific mineral composition. Note the yellowish underparts, black crown and black eye-stripe separated by a pale eyebrow, and bold white wingbars and tail edges. Similar to Dugand’s Antwren, but male has yellowish underparts and female has a black (not brown) crown. Stays quite high in the trees and often joins mixed-species flocks. Song is decelerating series of notes that rises and then falls.
Ornate Melidectes
Melidectes torquatus
A common and fairly large honeyeater of lower and mid-montane forest and clearings. Distinctively patterned with a black back scaled white, white belly with black scalloped flanks, black breast band, black head with large-orange yellow eye wattle, black chin and a small red mark in the base of the bill. Other melidectes co-occur but are larger and none have the white belly and breastband. Call, a loud, hollow “chok!” often followed by a slightly raspy, hollow warble.
Buff-bellied Warbler
Phyllolais pulchella
Plain and inconspicuous little warbler. The underparts are pale buff, and the legs and bill pink. Found in dry savanna habitats, mostly in acacia trees. Always in pairs or small groups which feed actively in the canopy. The call is a quiet repeated “tik” and the song a short dry trill. Even plainer than most other small, plain birds. Distinguished from Willow Warbler by the white outer tail and lack of a distinct eyebrow.
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