‘I’iwi: Cultural Icon

_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

The eye-catching ʻIʻiwi (Drepanis coccinea) was once one of the Hawaiian Islands’ most common forest birds. In Hawaiian mythology, the demi-god Maui particularly loved the native forest birds and painted them in bright reds and golds. Maui made the ʻIʻiwi especially colorful, with a unique call that resonated throughout the forest. Early Hawaiians considered their native birds’ red colors to be sacred and used ʻIʻiwi and other honeycreeper feathers to create elaborate cloaks, helmets, and leis. This garb became a mark of societal rank and was worn only during special ceremonies, or into battle.

Bird catchers, called kia manu, trapped large numbers of the then-common native forest birds, as thousands of feathers were needed to make a single cloak. Most bird catchers took only a few feathers from each bird, releasing them back into the wild to preserve the precious resource. Today, Hawaiian artists carry on this tradition by using dyed feathers from common domestic birds such as geese and pheasants.

Hawaiians treasure the ʻIʻiwi, but this signature bird is becoming scarce. Like other native species such as the Kiwikiu and the Palila, it has disappeared from most of its former range.

Also known as: Scarlet Honeycreeper

Find out more about this species: https://abcbirds.org/birds/iiwi/