IIWI
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
