Akiapolaau

Basic Description

The yellow-and-green Akiapolaau possesses a remarkable bill that combines a long, thin hook with a short, straight lower mandible. This Hawaiian honeycreeper uses the stout lower part of the bill to hammer at trees, woodpeckerlike, to locate and excavate insects, and then uses the hook to retrieve prey from holes. Pairs and small family groups inhabit forests with both koa and ohia lehua trees and frequently join mixed species flocks with other Hawaiian honeycreepers. Akiapolaau is an endangered species, with an estimated population of 1,900 individuals found only on the island of Hawaii.