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Palila

Loxiodes balleui Order: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Finches (Fringillidae)

Palila Portrait
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General

Palila: Large finch-billed honeycreeper, endemic to Hawaii. Yellow head with black lores, seperated from gray back by distinct line. Breast is yellow, belly is white and back is gray. Wings and tail are olive-green. Female is dull, with green-yellow head, gray lores, gray-yellow superciliary and forehead, and indistinct line at nape, with gray and yellow feathers mixed together. Juvenile is similar to female, shows two complete or partial pale green wing bars.

Range and Habitat

Palila: Currently restricted to the upper slopes of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. The west slope of Mauna Kea contains the majority of the population. They live in mamane-naio forests between the elevations of 6,000 and 9,000 feet.

Voice Text

"palila"

Interesting Facts

  • In 1998 the Palila became the first animal to have a 9th district federal case cited in its name, Palila v. Hawaii Dep't of Land and Natural Resources.
  • The toxic seeds of the mamane tree make up most of their diet. How they are unaffected by the poison is not yet known.
  • They are also often called Hawaiian Finches, a name that while old now more closely reflects their recent classification as Fringilidae by the AOU.
  • A group of honeycreepers are collectively known as a "hive" of honeycreepers.


Author

Crystal Adams

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Range Map for Palila
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Family
Species Loxiodes balleui
Length6 - 7 Inches
Wingspan Inches

Palila

Palila: Large finch-billed honeycreeper, endemic to Hawaii. Yellow head with black lores, seperated from gray back by distinct line. Breast is yellow, belly is white and back is gray. Wings and tail are olive-green. Bill, legs, and feet are black. Strong, bouncy flight with steady wingbeats.

● Song: "palila"

● Foraging & Feeding: Palila: Feeds primarily on the unripe seed pods of the mamane tree but will also eat insects, naio berries and mamane buds, flowers and leaves.

● Breeding & nesting: Palila: One to two white eggs with reddish-brown specks are laid in a cup-shaped nest of sticks, twigs, and grasses in a mamane tree. Incubation is carried out by the female for 16 to 17 days. Nesting can occur from February to September depending on the amount of mamane pods available.

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

Flight Pattern

Strong and bouncy with steady wingbeats.
Palila Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Palila: Currently restricted to the upper slopes of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. The west slope of Mauna Kea contains the majority of the population. They live in mamane-naio forests between the elevations of 6,000 and 9,000 feet.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationDeclining
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight1.34 Ounces