General

Hawaii Elepaio: Small monarch flycatcher. Crown and back are brown, forehead and eyebrow may be white or rufous. Throat is black, may show some white. Underparts are white with a brown-streaked breast. Wingbars and rump are white, long brown tail may have white-tip. Sexes are similar, female shows more white on throat. Juveniles are gray-brown overall, with two light brown wing bars and rump. Throat and breast are white.

Range and Habitat

Hawaii Elepaio: Found on Hawaii in most forested areas above 2000'. More common in wet and mesic forests. Three subspecies are found on the big island, C. s. sandwichensis in mesic forest, C.s. ridgwayi in rainforest, and C. s. bryani in mamane-naio dry forest on the west slope of Mauna Kea.

Breeding and Nesting

Hawaii Elepaio: One to three white eggs with red-brown markings are laid in a woven cup-shaped nest built in ohia and other trees. Both sexes incubate the eggs for 18 days. Chicks fledge after 16 days but continue to be fed by their parents for more than a month.

Foraging and Feeding

Hawaii Elepaio: Forages in trees and on the ground for a wide variety of arthropods, most commonly insects and spiders.

Vocalization

Hawaii Elepaio: A loud whistled "el-e-pai-o" song, chattering contact calls, and "chit-chit" or "whee-oo" alarm calls.