The Hawaiian word ʻākepa means “quick” or “nimble,” words which describe this small, finch-like bird perfectly. The Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa, which is endemic to the island of Hawaiʻi, was once considered part of a larger species that included other ʻākepas found on Oʻahu and Maui. In 2015, the three were split into separate species on the basis of differences in vocalizations, genetics, and behavior. Unfortunately, the Oʻahu ʻĀkepa and Maui ʻĀkepa are now considered extinct, additional casualties of the ongoing conservation and extinction crisis in the Hawaiian Islands.
Another close relative of the Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa is the ʻAkekeʻe, a Critically Endangered honeycreeper species endemic to Kauaʻi. Like that species, the Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa has a specialized bill that shows lateral asymmetry: The lower mandible is slightly curved to one side, and the tips of its bill are slightly crossed. This unusual bill acts as a handy tool for prying open ʻōhiʻa leaf and flower buds as the ʻĀkepa forages for insect prey, much in the same way that the Red Crossbill and its relatives use their bills to open conifer cones.
Also known as: ʻAkakane
Find out more about the Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa at https://abcbirds.org/bird/hawaii-akepa/
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