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
OU
(male)
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
