ʻIʻiwi
ʻIʻiwi | |
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Adult in Hawaii | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Fringillidae |
Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
Genus: | Drepanis |
Species: | D. coccinea
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Binomial name | |
Drepanis coccinea (Forster, 1780)
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The distribution of ʻIʻiwi (green) with extinct areas (red) | |
Synonyms | |
Vestiaria coccinea |
The ʻiʻiwi (pronounced /iːˈiːviː/, ee-EE-vee) (Drepanis coccinea) or scarlet honeycreeper is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. The ʻiʻiwi is a highly recognizable symbol of Hawaiʻi. The ʻiʻiwi is one of the most common endemic birds of the Hawaiian Islands.[2]
Etymology
Linguists derive the Hawaiian language word ʻiʻiwi from Proto-Nuclear-Polynesian *kiwi, which in central Polynesia refers to the bristle-thighed curlew (Numenius tahitiensis), a migratory bird.[3] The long decurved bill of the curlew somewhat resembles that of the ʻiʻiwi.
Description
This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2020) |
The adult ʻiʻiwi is mostly scarlet, with black wings and tail and a long, curved, salmon-colored bill used primarily for
Along with the
The bird is often mentioned in
Songs
The ʻiʻiwiʻs peculiar song consists of a couple of whistles, the sound of balls dropping in water, the rubbing of balloons together, and the squeaking of a rusty hinge.
Diet
The long bill of the ʻiʻiwi assists it to extract nectar from the flowers of the Hawaiian lobelioids, which have decurved corollas. Starting in 1902 the lobelioid population declined dramatically, and the ʻiʻiwi shifted to nectar from the blossoms of ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees.[6] ʻIʻiwi also eat small arthropods.[7]
Breeding
In the early winter in January to June, the birds pair off and mate as the ʻōhiʻa plants reach their flowering maximum. The female lays two to three
Habitat and Distribution
The largest populations of ʻiʻiwi inhabit Hawaiʻi Island, followed by Maui with the greatest numbers in East Maui, and fewer than 1% of ʻiʻiwi remain on Kauaʻi.[8] There may be remnant populations on Molokaʻi and Oʻahu; very few ʻiʻiwi have been recorded on either island since the 1990s.[9] They are no longer present on Lānaʻi.[10] Overall, ninety percent of the ʻiʻiwi population is confined to a narrow band of forest on East Maui and the windward slopes of the island of Hawaii, between 4,265 and 6,234 feet (1,300 and 1,900 meters) in elevation.[11] They are most abundant in mesic to wet forests at higher elevations.[12]
These birds are altitudinal migrants; they follow the progress of flowers as they develop at increasing altitudes throughout the year. It has also been noted that birds on Mauna Kea, Hawaiʻi Island, likely make daily trips from lower elevations to feed on nectar.[12] Seeking food at low elevation exposes them to low elevation disease organisms and high mortality. It has been theorized that the ʻiʻiwi can migrate between islands and it may be why the bird has not gone extinct on smaller islands such as Molokaʻi. Altitudinal migration complicates population assessment.
Threats and Conservation
Avian Malaria
ʻIʻiwi are listed as a threatened species because of small and declining populations in some of its range and its susceptibility to
Land Conservation and ˋŌhiˋa Death
ʻIʻiwi habitat has been reduced and fragmented through various types of land development, including clearing native forest for food crops and grazing. Invasive plants also outcompete and displace native plants that ʻiʻiwi use for foraging and nesting.
Another problem aiding the extinction of the 'I'iwi is the death of the ˋŌhiˋa tree. The ˋŌhiˋa tree is known to act as shelter for various rare and endangered species and be a food source for many birds on the island, making it one of the most important sources of nectar for Hawaiian Honeycreepers and the most important tree in regards to ecology in Hawaii. [22] However, in recent years many of the trees have begun to die out due to a disease called Ceratocystis Wilt, also called Rapid ˋŌhiˋa Death, which causes rapid death of the leaves on a single branch that spreads to the rest of the tree incredibly quickly. [23] There has been extensive death of these trees in untouched part of the forest, which has further contributed to the problem of the 'I'iwi having to leave higher elevations to find food and being exposed to malaria.
Mitigating Threats and Conservation Issues
One way that has been studied to help mitigate the issue of 'I'iwi and avian malaria is through gene editing to make 'I'iwi that are resistant to malaria. However, a very large number of gene edited 'I'iwi would have to be released before the year 2050 in order for this strategy to work, which would be extremely expensive. [24] There have also been various other solutions proposed, like gene edited mosquitoes, feral pig control in order to reduce habitats for mosquito larvae, and 'I'iwi predator control in order to increase the population. [25] Other solutions include getting rid of invasive species that produce nectar and increasing native flowering plants in higher elevations so that the 'I'iwi do not have to go into the lower elevation, mosquito infested areas to forage for food. [13]
Organizations throughout the islands have established nature reserves to protect native habitat. Fencing off sections of land to keep out feral ungulates, especially pigs, goats and axis deer enables native plants to recover from overgrazing and ungulate damage and helps restore native bird habitat. In recent years another threat has put native bird habitat at risk. Conservation groups are diligently working to reduce the risk of spreading a disease called Rapid ˋŌhiˋa Death (ROD).[26] This disease along with ʻōhiʻa dieback and ʻōhiʻa rust could lead to a rapid decline in ʻōhiʻa forests, an important nectar source for ʻiʻiwi.
See also
References
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Hawaii, US". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ Protoform: KIWI.1*. Polynesian Lexicon Project Online.
- ^ Fancy, S. G. and C. J. Ralph (2020). Iiwi (Drepanis coccinea), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.iiwi.01
- ISBN 978-0-87022-219-1.
- JSTOR 2386392.
- ^ "ʻIʻiwi" (PDF). Hawaii's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. State of Hawaiʻi. 14 December 2016.
- ^ Paxton, E.H.; Gorresen, P.M.; Camp, R.J. (2013). "Abundance, distribution and population trends of the iconic Hawaiian honeycreeper, Iiwi (Vestiaria coccinea) throughout the Hawaiian islands" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 2013-11150: 59 pages.
- ^ a b Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1 (December 2016). Iiwi (Drepanis coccinea) Species Status Report (Report).
{{cite report}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hirai, Lawrence T. (1978). "Native Birds of Lanai, Hawaii" (PDF). Western Birds. 9: 71–77. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2015.
Similarly, the Iiwi was considered abundant throughout the island forest in the 1890s (Perkins 1903), still fairly common up to 1923, but extirpated by 1929 (Munro 1960).
- ^ a b USFWS. "'I'iwi Receives Protection under the Endangered Species Act". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
- ^ a b Scott, J. Michael; Mountainspring, Stephen; Ramsey, Fred L.; Kepler, Cameron B. (1986). Forest Bird Communities of the Hawaiian Islands: Their Dynamics, Ecology, and Conservation. The Cooper Ornithological Society. pp. 157–163.
- ^ ISSN 0012-9615.
- ^ "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Species Status for the Iiwi (Drepanis coccinea)". Federal Register.
- S2CID 13449298.
- JSTOR 4085805.
- .
- ^ S2CID 46048652.
- S2CID 245042228.
- ^ "The 'I'iwi, a Besieged Hawaiian Forest Bird, Is Now Listed as Threatened". Audubon. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Heber, Emily (4 May 2017). "How Invasive Feral Pigs Impact the Hawaiian Islands". Island Conservation.
- S2CID 145978605.
- ISSN 0191-2917.
- S2CID 214350963.
- PMID 28060848.
- ^ "RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH". College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet.
- ʻIʻiwi videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- [1] Extra information on the 'I'iwi
- [2] 'I'iwi Species Status Report by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2016
- [3] DNLR factsheet for the I'iwi.