Part 3

VOICE: The usual song, a slow tinkling trill, _tink-tink-tink-tink-tink-tink-tink_ or _wheedle-wheedle-wheedle_, etc., is uttered by the male. Commonest foraging note (both sexes) is a high _djeee_; another note is _wheee_ with a rising inflection.

You will see a little green bird flit into a mamani or other nearby tree and begin to seek insects among the foliage, visiting the blossoms for nectar if the tree happens to be in bloom. You hear a buzzy _djeee_ and you have made acquaintance with the amakihi. This Hawaiian honeycreeper prefers more open forest than do the other two common members of the family, the apapane and iiwi. But often all three are found together, with the amakihis working through the entire foliage and not just in the tree tops.

Seasonal movements are much less obvious than for either apapanes or iiwis, probably because amakihis are less dependent on flowering periods. However, some migration does occur, especially in and out of their lower range below 3,000 feet elevation. Nesting is in late spring and early summer.

HAWAIIAN CREEPER _Loxops maculata_

DESCRIPTION: 4½″. Very similar to the female or immature amakihi, but the bill is straighter and tends to be lighter in color. Creepers search for insects on the trunks and heavier branches, while amakihis usually work more in the foliage.

PARK DISTRIBUTION: Kilauea—Now very rare in the upper rain forest or koa parkland on Mauna Loa. Haleakala—Has not been definitely recorded within the park for many years.

Twenty years ago creepers were often seen in the Mauna Loa Strip area of the Kilauea Section, but from 1958-1960 the author saw only one. On the other hand, introduced white-eyes have greatly increased their numbers in recent years, and now they are by far the commonest bird along the Mauna Loa Strip. White-eyes feed in much the same manner as creepers—they carefully glean tiny insects from limbs of ohia, mamani, and other trees. It seems likely that direct competition for insects by the white-eyes is an important factor in the recent decline of Hawaiian creepers.

OU _Psittirostra psittacea_

DESCRIPTION: 6½″. A greenish bird with a heavy _parrotlike bill_. Male: Varying shades of green above, lighter below, with a _bright yellow head_ that give it the appearance of being unusually large headed. _Female and Immature_: Lack the yellow head.

PARK DISTRIBUTION: Kilauea—Rare; in the wet tree-fern jungle. Thurston Lava Tube is within its range. Haleakala—Absent from Maui.

VOICE: A beautiful singer, according to Munro. Note: a medium high-pitched _teweé_.

Ous are fairly inactive birds, often spending long periods quietly on the branch of an ohia or other tree, and would be difficult to locate in the dense forest except for the bright male plumage. They frequently travel in pairs and apparently have a small individual range, for the same pair may be seen day after day in one locality. Their food consists of fruit.

APAPANE _Himatione sanguinea_

DESCRIPTION: 5½″. Crimson red with black wings and tail, _white abdomen_, and slightly down-curved _black bill_. Only similar species, the iiwi, has a red abdomen and a long orange bill. Immatures are confusing, as the red is mostly lacking. However, grayish birds having a touch of rusty red on the sides and white under the tail, and feeding in ohia tops, are surely this species. The throat and face of young apapanes may appear yellow-orange.

PARK DISTRIBUTION: Kilauea—Common to abundant throughout the wet ohia forest; much less common in the drier forests. Haleakala—Common locally in forested areas such as Hosmer Grove or Paliku.

VOICE: You will hear a constant chorus of short songs and notes from the highest ohia tops whenever apapanes are about. The quality varies from sweet whistled notes to harsh chips and buzzes, usually intermixed. Probably the most varied songster in the park.

The apapane is likely to be your first introduction to the endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers. While most of Hawaii’s native birds have either become extinct or are greatly reduced in numbers, this species seems to have held its own wherever there are ohia trees to provide a supply of lehua nectar. Examine a cluster of red ohia blossoms. You will find that each tiny cup which bears long bright stamens is filled with honey. A single ohia in full bloom with countless thousands of these nectar-cups must produce many pounds of honey. No wonder one blossoming tree will attract so many honeycreepers.

You will see the birds high in the trees, flitting about from flower to flower, often stopping to pick up insects along the way. Although a few trees are in bloom throughout the year in any given area, there are definite “flowering periods” for the ohia when more than half of the trees may be in full blossom. The season for these flowering periods will vary among localities, and tremendous flocks of apapanes and other honeycreepers follow the bloom from one area to another. They can often be seen flying high overhead in small groups, all going in the same direction. But even during times when the ohias are out of bloom a few apapanes will remain in the forest.

The breeding season is an extended one, and you may see immature apapanes with almost no sign of red plumage from February to October.

IIWI _Vestiaria coccinea_

DESCRIPTION: 5¾″. A brilliant scarlet body and _long, orange, sickle-shaped bill_ distinguishes this honeycreeper. Lacks the white abdomen of the apapane. Immatures appear greenish-yellow with patches of red developing with age, but the long orange bill is always diagnostic.

PARK DISTRIBUTION: Kilauea—Common in the wet ohia forest, especially when the trees are in bloom. Kipuka Puaulu and the vicinity of Thurston Lava Tube are likely places. Haleakala—Fairly common in Hosmer Grove and the forest behind Paliku.

VOICE: The creaking of a rusty gate, _ker-eeék_ is the best description for its commonest note. Other calls include a sharp whistle and a short warble, all rather harsh.

Look for this bright Hawaiian honeycreeper among flocks of apapanes in the forest. On a calm day you will hear the heavy flutter of their wings as they fly from tree to tree. Apapanes also have a similar feather structure which produces such noisy flight.

Iiwis tend to feed more in the upper-middle branches rather than the high tops, and they seem to remain in a single tree for a longer time than the apapanes. Their food is made up of nectar (ohia, mamane, and other flowers) which they suck up through tubular tongues that extend the length of their sickle bills, and the larger insects. Old koa trees often attract iiwis, presumably because of the insects.

You will see birds in green juvenile plumage any time from February until autumn. These young birds seem to be especially affected by bird lice, for they spend much time scratching and preening.

RICEBIRD _Munia nisoria_

DESCRIPTION: 4″. A tiny, _dark-faced_ bird with a heavy blackish bill. Differs from house sparrow and house finch females in its smaller size, the dark face and throat, and under parts that look speckled. The flanks may appear barred. Nearly always in flocks.

PARK DISTRIBUTION: Introduced to the islands about 1865. Now established on all main islands. Kilauea—Occasional to common along most park roads except in the Kau Desert and the upper Mauna Loa Strip. Haleakala—Absent from the park.

VOICE: A short _wheek_ or _whireép_, softer than the chip of the house finch, and usually repeated.

Ricebirds used to be great pests among the rice fields of lower elevations, but their numbers have diminished now that little rice is grown on the islands. Notice the flocks of half-a-dozen or so that fly out with short wing beats along park roads, trails, or other places where weeds thrive. They are primarily ground feeders and even in flight they seldom rise much above the ground surface.

HOUSE SPARROW _Passer domesticus_ (also English sparrow)

DESCRIPTION: 6″. Almost everyone knows this chunky, grayish-brown bird with a heavy bill, restricted to areas of human habitation. Males have black throats; females gray.

PARK DISTRIBUTION: Introduced before 1870. Kilauea—Restricted to areas of human habitations. Haleakala—A few around Park Headquarters, mainly during the summer months.

VOICE: Dull chirps.

CARDINAL _Richmondena cardinalis_

DESCRIPTION: 4″-10″. _Male_—the only _all red bird with a crest_. _Female_—yellowish-brown with some red, also crested. Both sexes have a heavy red bill: however, immatures, which resembles females, have dark beaks.

PARK DISTRIBUTION: Introduced on several islands since 1929. Kilauea—Fairly common locally in the drier vegetated areas such as Kipuka Puaulu. Haleakala—Absent from the park.

VOICE: The song, which may be varied, is made up of a liquid whistled phrase usually repeated. Note: a sharp _tik_.

Visitors from the eastern states will recognize familiar birdcalls when a cardinal is nearby. They are usually rather shy birds here, so you will probably hear them first. Seeds, insects, and fruit make up the diet of these birds. They are often found in company with the red-billed leiothrix.

HOUSE FINCH _Carpodacus mexicanus_ (also linnet or papaya bird)

DESCRIPTION: 5½″. _Male_—Grayish-brown with rosy red breast, forehead, stripe over eye, and rump. At Haleakala the color is more yellow than red. _Female_ and _Immature_—Sparrowlike with a gray-brown back and dusky-white streaked breast. House finches have thick seed-eating bills.

PARK DISTRIBUTION: Introduced before 1870. Kilauea—very common in the drier sections of the park, especially along the Hilina Pali road and at Kipuka Puaulu. Haleakala—One of the commonest birds in the park both inside and out of the crater.

VOICE: A rapid, disjointed warbling song, usually lasting several seconds. Note: one or a series of chirps, more musical than that of the house sparrow.

This is strictly a social species living in flocks ranging in size from a few birds to 20 or more. On the Island of Hawaii the introduced house finch has adapted well to a habitat that is presently unoccupied by any native resident—the dry grassy regions of the Kau Desert and along Hilina Pali.

On the mainland house finches are reddish; the same is true for most Kilauea birds. However, at Haleakala the usual color of the male is yellow or orange. It seems likely that diet, which is known to affect pigmentation in bird plumage, rather than heredity, is the cause of this difference.

OTHER BIRDS

Accidentals

From time to time various sea and other birds passing over the island or blown inland during a storm may be observed in either park. In recent years such accidentals have included:

Red-footed booby (_Sula sula_): one record, Kilauea (1959). Peregrine falcon (_Falco peregrinus_): seen at Kilauea during 1961. Red phalarope (_Phalaropus fulicarius_): one record, Kilauea (1949). Gray-backed tern (_Sterna lunata_): one record, Kilauea (1959).

Formerly Recorded

Several native birds that were formerly found within the park have not been recorded in recent years. They include:

Hawaiian crow (_Corvus tropicus_): This, the only crow here and endemic to the Island of Hawaii, formerly occurred within the park. One recent Kilauea record (1940).

Akepa (_Loxops coccinea_): A tiny (4½″) bird. _Male_: Red-orange with no white markings. _Female_: Green above and yellow below. Still occurs in the koa forests northeast of the Mauna Loa Strip. Last park record was over 20 years ago.

Akiapolaau (_Hemignathus wilsoni_): 5½″. Like the amakihi but with a long, curved upper mandible overlapping the short straight lower bill. Used to be a permanent resident of the koa kipukas along the Mauna Loa Strip, but has not been observed within the park for several years.

Parrot-billed koa finch (_Pseudonestor xanthophrys_): 5½″. A yellowish parrotlike bird with a heavy hooked beak that formerly occurred in Kaupo Gap at Haleakala. Last record, a few miles outside the park, was in 1950.

Status Uncertain

Game birds are sometimes released by the State Division of Fish and Game near the park, but they do not always become established. A recent release (June 1960) just outside the park boundary near Headquarters at Haleakala was the Erckel’s Francolin (_Francolinus erckelii_). This large chickenlike partridge can be recognized by its rusty-red crown. It is not yet known whether the birds will reproduce and become established.

INDEX

A Acknowledgements 9 _Acridotheres tristis_ 27 Akepa 34 Akekeke 20 Akiapolaau 34 _Alauda arvensis_ 22 _Alectoris graeca_ 16 Amakihi 3, 5, 7, 28, Plate _Anoüs tenuirostris_ 20 Apapane 3, 5, 6, 7, 29, 30, 31, 32, Plate _Arenaria interpres_ 20 _Asia flammeus_ 22

B Bird Park 6 Booby, red-footed 34 _Branta sandvicensis_ 13 _Buteo solitarius_ 15

C Cardinal 4, 6, 33, Plate _Carpodacus mexicanus_ 33 Chain of Craters Road 18, 21, 28 _Chasiempsis sandwichensis_ 26 Chukar 7, 16 _Corvus tropicus_ 34 Crater Rim Drive 5, 18 Creeper, Hawaiian 29 Crow, Hawaiian 34

D Dove barred 21, 22 Chinese 21 laceneck 21 spotted 21 Drepaniidae 3

E Elepaio 3, 6, 26, Plate Endemics 3 Exotics 4

F Fern jungle 2, 5, 6 Finch house 6, 7, 33, Plate parrot-billed koa 34 Francolin, Erckel’s 34 _Francolinus erckelii_ 34

G _Geopelia striata_ 22 Goose, Hawaiian 13

H Haleakala National Park 7, 8 Halemaumau 6, 12 Halape 20 Hawaiian Islands 3 Hawaiian Honeycreepers 3 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 8 Hawk, Hawaiian 6, 15 _Hemignathus wilsoni_ 34 _Heteroscelus incanum_ 20 Hilina Pali 12, 21, 22, 27, 33 Hill robin, Japanese 24 _Himatione sanguinea_ 30 Holua Cabin 11, 12 Hosmer Grove 7, 28, 30 Hui Manu 4

I Iiwi 3, 5, 6, 7, 29, 31, Plate Io 3, 6, 15

K Kalapana—Kalapana Road 21, 22 Kapalaoa Cabin 11 Kau Desert 12, 27, 32, 33 Kaupo Gap 34 Kilauea Crater 11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 26, 28 Kilauea Iki 6, 15 Kilauea Volcano 5 Kipuka Nene 16 Kipuka Puaulu 1, 6, 26, 33 Koae 11 Kolea 19 Kona Coast 22

L _Leiothrix lutea_ 24 Leiothrix, red-billed 6, 24, 33, Plate Linnet 33 _Lophortyx californicus_ 15 _Loxops_ _coccinea_ 34 _maculata_ 29 _virens_ 28

M Malaria, avian 5, 24 Makaopuhi Crater 15 Mauna Kea 11 Mauna Loa—Mauna Loa Strip 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32 Mejiro 27 _Mimus polyglottus_ 24 Mockingbird 7, 24 _Munia nisoria_ 32 Mynah 4, 27, Plate

N Nene 3, 7, 13, back cover Nightingale, Peking 24 Noddy, white-capped 20 Noio 20

O Old World flycatcher 3, 27 Owl, Hawaiian short-eared 3, 22 Omao 3, 25, 27, Plate Ou 29, Plate

P Paliku 7, 12, 22, 24, 28, 30 Papaya bird 33 _Passer domesticus_ 32 Petrel, dark-rumped 4, 10, 11 _Phaeornis obscura_ 25 _Phaëthon lepturus_ 11 Phalarope, red 34 _Phalaropus fulicarius_ 34 _Phasianus colchicus torquatus_ 17 _colchicus versicolor_ 18 Pheasant Chinese 17 green 18 Japanese blue 6, 7, 18 ring-necked 7, 17 versicolor 18 Plover, American golden 4, 7, 19 _Pluvialis dominica_ 19 _Pseudonestor xanthophrys_ 34 _Psittirostra psittacea_ 29 Pueo 22 _Pterodroma phaeopygia_ 11

Q Quail, California 4, 7, 15

R Ricebird 32, Plate _Richmondena cardinalis_ 33

S Skylark 7, 22, Plate Sparrow English 32 house 32 _Streptopelia chinensis_ 21 _Sterna lunata_ 34 _Sula sula_ 34

T Tattler, wandering 20 Tern, gray-backed 34 Thrush Chinese 23 Hawaiian 25 spectacled 23 Thurston Lava Tube 2, 5, 25, 29 _Trochalopterum canorum_ 23 Tropic-bird, white-tailed 4, 6, 11, 12 Turnstone, ruddy 20

U Uau 11 Ulili 20

V _Vestiaria coccinea_ 31

W White-eye 4, 5, 6, 27, 29, Plate

Z _Zosterops palpibrosus_ 27

Boldfaced type: refers to illustrations

OTHER PARK NATURE BOOKLETS

The Hawaii Natural History Association, a nonprofit organization devoted to aiding the park interpretive program, has produced several other booklets to help you enjoy the parks in Hawaii. These may be obtained at headquarters in either park or by writing directly to the association, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii.

_Haleakala Guide_, by George C. Ruhle, $1.00 _Ferns of Hawaii National Park_, by Douglass H. Hubbard, 50¢ _Trailside Plants of Hawaii National Park_, by Douglass H. Hubbard and Vernon R. Bender, Jr., 50¢ _Volcanoes of the National Parks in Hawaii_, by Gordon A. MacDonald and Douglass H. Hubbard, 50¢

_NOTES_

Transcriber’s Notes

—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.