General

Hawaii Amakihi: Small honeycreeper, AKA Common Amakihi. Upperparts are olive to yellow-green and underparts are yellow; paler below and on the face. Lores are black, bill is decurved and black, fading to pale blue at base. Wings and tail are olive-gray, dark legs and, dark brown iris. Female similar but duller, has shorter bill and is less yellow and more green. Juvenile is dull gray-green and dull white above, yellow streaks on belly. Wing bars are pale and the lores are gray.

Range and Habitat

Hawaii Amakihi: Found in Hawaii on the Big Island, Maui, and Moloka?i. It formerly occurred on Lana?i, where it was last seen in 1976. Are considered non-migratory, but some altitudinal movement happens probably due to food availability. Inhabits all types of territory on the islands, including both wet and dry native forests and shrub-lands, at elevations from sea level to 8,000 feet.

Breeding and Nesting

Hawaii Amakihi: The breeding season ranges from March to July. Two to three white to cream eggs with purple markings and brown blotches are laid in an open cup nest constructed of twigs, grass stems and leaves. Most nests are built 12 to 24 feet above the ground in a mamane or ohia tree. The female incubates the eggs for 14 days. The chicks fledge 15 to 21 days after hatching.

Foraging and Feeding

Hawaii Amakihi: These birds feed mainly on insects and small arthropods, preferring soft-bodied, flightless forms of invertebrates. Their diet also includes the juices and pulp of fruit and sap from fluxes in trees. They drink nectar, mostly from the flowers of Mamame and Ohia trees. They have fully tubular tongues and decurved bills adapted for nectar-feeding.

Vocalization

Hawaii Amakihi: Song is a flat trill, call is a buzzy "tzeet" and "chu-weet".

Similar Species

Hawaii Amakihi: Hawaii Creeper has straighter bill, adults have white throats and gray or black loral mask extending behind eye. Akiapolaau are slightly larger and have much longer curved bills.