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Akohekohe

Palmeria doleiOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Finches (Fringillidae)

Akohekohe Portrait
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General

Akohekohe: Medium honeycreeper, primarily black with a white or gray crested forehead. Orange eyering extends to an orange-red nape. Breast and throat feathers are gray-tipped, orange-tipped feathers scattered over rest of the body. Wings and tail have white edges. Sexes are similar. Juveniles lack the crest and colorful plumage and are gray-brown overall.

Range and Habitat

Akohekohe: Endemic to the island of Maui. Common in moist forests on the east slopes of Haleakala from 5,500' to 7,000'. Formerly found on West Maui and Molokai this bird is decreasing in numbers and it is estimated that there are 3,700 individuals remaining.

Voice Text

"tjook tjook chouroup", "hur-hur-hur-gluk-gluk-gluk", "whee-o, whee-o", "tchew"

Interesting Facts

  • The Akohekohe is also known as the Crested Honeycreeper. Despite its name, it is a member of the Finch rather than the Tanager family, where honeycreepers found in Central and South America are currently placed. Its subfamily, Drepanidinae was formerly considered a family, has become a subfamily of the Fringillidae family due to advances in molecular studies.
  • It prefers the flowers found on the O’hia-lehua tree and will attack other nectarivores during low blooming periods.
  • Once common on the islands of Maui and Molokai, today less than 4,000 are found on Maui.
  • A group of honeycreepers are collectively known as a "hive" of honeycreepers.


Author

Crystal Adams

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Range Map for Akohekohe
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Palmeria dolei
Length7 Inches
Wingspan Inches

Akohekohe

Akohekohe: Medium honeycreeper, mainly black with white or gray crested forehead. Orange eyering extends to orange-red nape. Breast and throat feathers are gray-tipped, orange-tipped feathers scattered over rest of the body. Wings and tail have white edges. Black legs, bill. Direct, strong flight.

● Song: "tjook tjook chouroup", "hur-hur-hur-gluk-gluk-gluk", "whee-o, whee-o", "tchew"

● Foraging & Feeding: Akohekohe: Eats the flowers of the 'ohi'a trees that are high in the canopy. When the flowers are limited it will eat insects, fruit and nectar from other plants and even forage in the understory. They forage by hopping or running from tree to tree instead of flying.

● Breeding & nesting: Akohekohe: They nest exclusively in the 'ohi'a tree. The female builds a cup-shaped nest of twigs and lays one or two gray eggs with brown spots and streaks. Incubation is carried out by the female for 17 days. Both parents feed the chicks, who fledge at around 21 days.

● Similar species: Akohekohe: Not likely to be confused with any other species.

Flight Pattern

Strong and direct flight.
Akohekohe Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Akohekohe: Endemic to the island of Maui. Common in moist forests on the east slopes of Haleakala from 5,500' to 7,000'. Formerly found on West Maui and Molokai this bird is decreasing in numbers and it is estimated that there are 3,700 individuals remaining.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationEndangered
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight1 Ounces