Birds of the National Parks in Hawaii

by William W. Dunmire

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.