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| Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi |
| Status | LC |
| Status system | IUCN3.1 |
| Genus | Chlorodrepanis |
| Species | virens |
| Authority | (Gmelin, 1789) |
Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi is a small endemic Hawaiian honeycreeper found on several main islands, notable for its curved bill and olive-green plumage. It is a common and adaptable passerine that has persisted despite avian malaria and habitat change, and it features in conservation studies alongside other Pacific taxa. Field researchers from institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Bishop Museum, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and National Park Service often monitor its populations.
The Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi belongs to the genus Chlorodrepanis within the family Fringillidae, part of the Hawaiian honeycreeper adaptive radiation first described in works by Gmelin and later revised through molecular analyses by teams at American Museum of Natural History and University of Copenhagen. Recent phylogenetic studies using mitochondrial DNA and nuclear loci involved collaborations with researchers from Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Max Planck Institute to resolve relationships among Loxops, Drepanis, Vestiaria, and other genera. Earlier classifications placed it in Hemignathus; taxonomic revisions are reflected in checklists maintained by International Ornithologists' Union and American Ornithological Society.
A compact passerine, the species exhibits olive-green upperparts, yellow underparts, and a gently decurved bill suited to probing flowers and bark, traits noted in field guides from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Roger Tory Peterson. Adult plumage and measurements are described in monographs by John James Audubon-style tradition and modern guides produced by University of Hawaii Press and Princeton University Press. Morphological variation among island populations has been documented in comparative studies by teams at University of California, Davis, University of Washington, and Zoological Society of London.
The species occurs across several islands including Hawaiʻi (island), Maui, Kauaʻi, and Oʻahu in a range of habitats from native mesic and wet forests to disturbed and mixed native- introduced landscapes, a pattern reported in surveys by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hawaiʻi Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and Conservation International. Elevational distribution varies with local disease pressure and habitat availability, as mapped in studies undertaken by U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA, and World Wildlife Fund. Populations persist in protected areas such as Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Kīpahulu Valley, and reserves managed by The Nature Conservancy.
Social behavior includes foraging in mixed-species flocks alongside ʻApapane, ʻIʻiwi, ʻElepaio, and introduced species like Japanese white-eye; these associations are analyzed in community ecology studies by Ecological Society of America and researchers at University of California, Santa Cruz. Territoriality and singing behavior have been recorded in acoustics research conducted at Cornell Lab of Ornithology and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, with vocalizations archived in collections at British Library Sound Archive and Macaulay Library. Nesting ecology and predator interactions have been documented in papers published through Pacific Science and reports for BirdLife International.
The curved bill is adapted for nectarivory and insectivory; birds probe flowers of native plants such as ʻōhiʻa lehua, Metrosideros polymorpha, and forage on arthropods beneath bark and in foliage, behaviors studied by botanists at Kew Gardens and ecologists from University of California, Santa Barbara. Foraging studies reference plant-pollinator networks involving Acacia koa and native understory species documented by Hawaiʻi Botanical Society and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Comparative diet analyses cite techniques used by researchers at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
Breeding seasonality, nest construction, clutch size, and parental care have been quantified in field studies overseen by Bishop Museum and published in journals affiliated with American Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society. Longevity records derive from banding programs run by Hawaiʻi Audubon Society and the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory, which coordinate data with international schemes like the European Bird Ringing Centre for comparative analyses.
Primary threats include avian malaria and avian pox vectored by Culex quinquefasciatus, habitat loss from invasive plants and ungulates, and ecosystem changes linked to climate change studies by IPCC contributors and modeling groups at NASA and NOAA. Conservation responses involve captive husbandry protocols, habitat restoration by The Nature Conservancy, invasive species control by Department of Land and Natural Resources (Hawaii), and policy measures guided by Endangered Species Act consultations coordinated with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Monitoring programs by BirdLife International, Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council, and academic consortia at Stanford University and University of Oxford inform adaptive management and genetic rescue discussions led by conservation geneticists at University of Cambridge and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Category:Chlorodrepanis Category:Endemic birds of Hawaii