General

Palila: Large finch-billed honeycreeper native to Hawaii. Has a yellow head with black lores separated from gray back by distinct line. Breast is yellow. Belly is white and back is gray. Wings and tail are olive-green. Bill is small and blunt, arched like a bullfinch. Female is dull with green-yellow head, gray lores, gray-yellow superciliary and forehead and indistinct line at nape, with gray and yellow feathers mixed together. Juvenile is similar to female, shows two complete or partial pale green wing bars.

Range and Habitat

Palila: This species has a very limited range, which is currently restricted to the upper slopes of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. The west-facing slope of Mauna Kea contains the majority of the population. These birds live in mamane-naio forests between the elevations of 6,000 and 9,000 feet above sea level.

Breeding and Nesting

Palila: One to two white eggs with reddish-brown specks are laid in a cup-shaped nest of sticks, twigs, and grasses in a mamane tree. Incubation is carried out by the female for 16 to 17 days. Nesting can occur from February to September depending on the amount of mamane pods available.

Foraging and Feeding

Palila: The Mamane trees provide most of their food, including immature seeds, flower parts and nectar, unripe seed pods, naio berries, leaf buds, young leaves and insects, mainly caterpillar larvae. They also take fruits, seeds, leaves and insects from other plants. They forage primarily in canopy of trees, mainly near the ends of branches, where flowers and pods are located.

Vocalization

Palila: Song is a series of soft warbles and trills and call is an up-slurred two or three note whistle. Also gives a call "palila" for which the bird is named.

Similar Species

Palila: Saffron Finch is yellow overall with a smaller bill. Yellow-fronted Canary has gray cheeks, lores, crown, and nape.