Apapane

Basic Description

The Apapane is the most common Hawaiian honeycreeper, occurring on all the main islands. Adults are a spectacular deep crimson that contrasts with black wings and tail and snowy white under the tail. Immature birds are a splotchy mix of gray, olive, and pale red. This nectar-loving songbird uses its slightly curved black bill to extract nectar from native ohia and mamane flowers. Apapane are noisy, conspicuous birds, with both sexes singing throughout the year, and birds regularly flying above the forest canopy in search of flowering trees.